Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

7:54 p.m. • 5-23-13

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Fri: Partly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 74° F
  • Sat: Clear.
    • Hi: 72° F
  • Sun: Partly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 75° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image
Go Ask Mom
print friendly

Durham mom wants to open cafe designed for tots, their parents

Published: 2012-07-18 15:55:00
Updated: 2012-07-18 15:55:00

Emily McCall is a mom of two kids under two, but she wants to put even more on her plate.

The Durham mom has started a Kickstarter.com project to open a play cafe for young families in the Triangle. McCall envisions a place where parents and kids can spend time together in a space that is tailored to both of them.

McCall says she hasn't found many spaces in the region that cater well to both young kids and their adults. At the same time, there are days when she just needs to get out of the house.

"Some are too adult-friendly, kids either lose interest and melt down or drive the other patrons crazy with their happy antics," she writes. "Others are so kid friendly that moms leave just dying to collapse on the couch with something to eat and drink after chasing their babies around an overstimulating environment for a couple of hours."

McCall says she's heard the same complaints from other moms.

McCall wants to build what she is calling the Stay & Play Snack Cafe. Through Kickstarter.com, she hopes to raise $17,000 to help with the opening. A pledge of money toward the project could get you various rewards such as passes to play once it's open, swag or free coffee for a year.

Here's how she describes the cafe:

Young families need a place to go and hang out that is specifically for us. It should be the perfect compromise between comfort for a parent and excitement for a child. We need a space that is beautiful and bright, stimulating and cozy. It is full of fun toys, and really comfortable seats. Yummy snacks and coffee are available, as well as craft kits for both parents and kids. There is optional light programming with scheduled story times, singing and dance parties, also some art and exercise classes are offered. Bathrooms are clean and kid-friendly. Wifi is free, and music and decor are carefully curated. It is a refuge for families when the house is feeling like a cage. It is the perfect place to just stay and play.

McCall is scouting out possible locations around downtown Durham, picking toys, testing a snack menu and working on the interior plan.

"After a lot of thought, and some discussion with other parents, I am convinced that a place like this needs to exist here, and I am ready to make it happen for us," she writes.

To find out more about the project, go to its Kickstarter page and McCall's blog.

 

Read More Posts from this Blog

4 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

This blog post is closed for comments.


page 1
sort order: oldest first | newest first

Love that idea! Open one in Raleigh too!!!

Love this idea. Please take children with special needs into consideration in your design (esp those with physical limitations.) Making your place handicap accessible for kids would mean a world of difference to families looking for a place to go. (and Durham is PERFECT!)

PS-can you please open in Raleigh? It's a long drive to Durham!

Great idea! Something a step up from very kid friendly Chick Fil A craft night, which I love very much, but it is a fast food restaurant.

page 1
sort order: oldest first | newest first

Video

 
  • The students and staff at Cedar Fork Elementary star in a music video to capture their journey of learning for this year. The lyrics…

  • Leeann Eagle talks about her business creating personalized and appliqued apparel for kids.

  • Check out the scene at our big playdate featuring Artspace, Lil' Chef, the Chick-fil-A cow, Rissi Palmer, the Wake County Sheriff's…

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center and a Raleigh mom of four, tells us that listening to your children is…

  • LeeAnn Donnelly of Biltmore talks about the estate in Asheville and spots that families shouldn't miss when the visit.

  • Anna Norton, a Cary mom, talks about her journey with Type 1 diabetes, her involvement in Diabetes Sisters and the nonprofit's…

  • The city celebrates the grand reopening of its historic carousel on Saturday, April 20.

  • Julie Stoner, a Raleigh mom of two, will compete in her first Boston Marathon on Monday.

  • Go Ask Mom editor Sarah Lindenfield Hall talks with WRAL about preparing for a half marathon and how running can help moms stay…

  • Cristin DeRonja of SAFEchild in Wake County talks about the agency's program called Funny Tummy Feelings, which teaches kids skills…

  • Mary Poole, Artspace executive director, talks about the collection of artist studios and galleries in downtown Raleigh and why it's…

  • Beatrice Diaz, a mom of four in Chapel Hill, talks about her business Absolute Joy.

  • The best part about the playground at north Raleigh's Optimist Park is it's in the shade. And when the kids get too hot, you can just…

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center, talks about the programs offered at the Wake County nonprofit.

  • Cristin DeRonja, director of the SAFEchild Advocacy Center in Raleigh, talks about the four kinds of child abuse and what you can do…

  • Robyn Bennai and Liz Lemons, Raleigh moms, talk about their venture - shopbidgive.com - which provides an online home for silent…

  • Buffaloe Road Athletic Park, home to the Buffaloe Road Aquatics Center, also features a small playground.

  • Rosalind Baglio, manager of the Chapel Hill boutique, talks about what the store offers. It's part of the Women's Birth & Wellness…


GoAskMom Camp Guide promo 320x110