The Observer Newspapers | At Play Cafe Serves Up Family Fun

May 9, 2008

At Play Cafe Serves Up Family Fun

By Leslie Perales

Observer Staff Writer

Relaxing with a magazine and a cup of coffee, Laurie Yeh watched her son Connor slide down from "Joshua's Firehouse" inside At Play Cafe on Wednesday morning. The new cafe and hangout for parents and children opened in April in the Hunters Woods Village Center. Yeh, who has been coming to the cafe with her family for about two weeks, said she enjoys having a place to relax while her son plays in a safe environment.

At Play Cafe offers entertainment for children ages 6 months to 6 years, and the cafe features a play area with a custom-designed playhouse, where children can play while staff keeps an eye on them.

Susan Chen, owner of the cafe, said that when her two oldest children were toddlers, she searched for a place where parents could relax while their children played and that served healthy food. "There was no such place, so I had to create a place," she said.

Chen decided to move forward with her idea to open At Play Cafe after seeing similar businesses in New York and other large cities. When she moved to Reston from Richmond in 2005, she began looking for space to open her cafe, and she found space in the Hunters Woods Village Center last summer.

Chen said much of her research in building that business came from being a mom to three children, and her family, especially her brother, have been an important part of making the business work. Her two oldest children, who are 7 years old and 5 years old, enjoy helping her in the cafe and soon her 3-month-old will be able to enjoy the playhouse, she said.

In addition to the play area, the space also has a gym studio, which is used for art, movement and storytelling classes, among other activities. Registration is open for classes and they begin next Monday. Other activities include story time with Barefoot Books on Mondays and Wednesdays and Groovy Mr. Nate's sing-alongs and musical adventures on Tuesdays.

At Play Cafe also serves kid-friendly and healthy snacks. Chen said she decided to serve healthy foods because, "We find that a lot of the parents here are health conscious." The menu features fresh fruit and vegetable cups, yogurt, baked goods, teas, juices and coffees, among other items, and everything costs less than $6.

Chen said she has received a lot of positive feedback since the business's opening. "There are people who come here very regularly," she said. "From talking to other moms, they all said they needed a place like this." She also said several groups, including a group of mothers with children who are hearing impaired, have started meeting at the cafe.

"I think it's needed," Yeh said. "There's really not a whole lot to do with children this age."

Admission for the play area is $8 for the first child and $6 for each sibling and is free to children younger than 8 months old. Twelve-visit passes are available for $80 and a season pass for three months of unlimited visits is available for $120. Parents and children are given matching bracelets to ensure safety. Chen said she also plans to offer "Mommy and Me" yoga classes in the future. Visit www.AtPlayCafe.com.