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

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.