My review is for the cafe side, not the photography section nor any special events stuff that they do also.
There are many good things about this place, and a few things I hope that improve as time goes on and they settle into their wings! This is a new business, and I think a new type of business in the South Bay. Personally, I have been waiting for something like this forever it feels like, and its definitely a new favorite place for me when I don't want to go to a park.
In a quick summary:
This is a "Mom's Cafe" (dads welcome too). Meaning, for an entry fee of $10 +1 child (extra siblings $5, not sure about other "guests" ie aunt/grandma), you can hang out with your baby/toddler/child and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, and let your kids run around in their playroom area. At this time, there is no posted time limit on your stay.
Its not a playground, its not a daycare and its not a billybee's or whatever that place is. I found it to be more of an intimate communal play space for the kids - and its not a formal cafe. Someone mentioned in one of the mom's groups I am in, that it reminds them of the "Moms Cafe's" in South Korea, which are very popular there for mom's to come and just relax with their babies.
More Details:
Parking is very limited to in front of their building (not the other buildings in the strip mall), behind their building though its best to try to park ON El Camino
This is a shoes off cafe. They have a nice shelving area and guest slippers if you want to use a pair, and a good stroller parking area too.
Cafe items are limited: no outside food or beverages allowed, except food for your kids (baby food). They have a selection of sandwiches, cookies, cheese, chips and drinks available but its very limited (only PBJ sandwich for vegetarians at the time I went). Good prices but some items are CASH ONLY. They do have some high chairs that are good.
The playroom is a work in progress. I talked with one of the women running the business and she said many more items are ordered but haven't arrived, including some mirrors, which the kids will love. They have an assortment of plush animals, balls, puzzles, little faux kitchen, teepee, big drawing table with coloring pages (more crayons less markers would be awesome), books, duploo blocks and other misc toys.
The playroom is a great size for kids, but gets very small very fast if hovering moms feel the need to be right next to their kids. If the moms could sit just outside the playroom, then it would be more spacious. I think a missed opportunity is in this room with establishing benches around or near the windows for the moms to sit on. Some mom's do have babies that need assistance in the big kids play area, so things just get full fast.
They have a TV but it will never be on for week days, its for use for the special events parties that they have where people want to show pictures of their children (such as a 1yr old party and you want to show from birth to one year etc).
They have a very sweet small newborn or tummy time area for kids who aren't moving quite yet. The rug is a nice thick one, with cute floor cushions for you to be with your baby. Its away from the busy and noisy kids playroom, but with a window for you to view the playroom - so if you have two kids and you need to line of sight one or the other, you have it covered.
The bathroom is very sweet with a changing table for kids, and a small footstool for little ones to wash their hands.
The mornings are much busier than the afternoons, but don't let that stop you from stopping by!!
Things I'd love to see:
* sanitizing of the toys after the morning crowd leaves and the afternoon comes
* more vegetarian food offerings, particularly sandwiches (or a sandwich)
* black ice tea, plain instead of flavored ones if possible for non-coffee moms
* some limited musical toys like rattlers or shakers, that are fun but not distracting
* bench in the playroom so hovering moms sit away from rug and let their kids play instead of taking up space in the room with the kids
Overall, this is a great space with a sweet energy. I am very excited to see how they blossom and I hope they stay in business for many years to come and we see other play spaces like this pop up in our area. As a new mom, its incredibly difficult to find indoor spaces like this where I can relax so its on the top of my list of places to go now! read more