Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Romain.
Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Co-owners Amanda Texter and Jennifer Romain are both moms who live in Caledonia. They met in 2022 when their daughters attended a gymnastics class together. They became fast friends and frequently commiserated about the lack of indoor play spaces for young children in the Caledonia and surrounding areas. They couldn’t find what they wanted, so they built it themselves! Stomping Grounds Play Cafe opened in July 2023 as the first play cafe in the greater GR area with a fully gated play space, fully nut-free facility, completely dye-free menu, a set capacity for each play session and the ability to make online reservations to ensure your spot! Since opening, we have added a full coffee bar, and expanded our space to include a classroom, co=working office with Child Minders and Plaza Pals child minder service for caregivers who have appointments in the other businesses in our plaza. We also partner with Functional Kids Therapy and Duncan Lake Speech Therapy who both offer pediatric services within our facility.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Owning a small business is never easy, but we’re lucky to have supportive families and have created a village of amazing mamas who make up our staff. Because of the nature of our business, we are very busy in the colder months and slow in the warmer months. Making it through the summers will always be a challenge!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Stomping Grounds Play Cafe?
We are proud to differentiate ourselves by focusing on the little details that make a visit to Stomping Grounds Play Cafe as easy as possible for caregivers! We offer :
3-hour play sessions, classes, co-working, child minder services, special events and private event rentals
A fully gated play space
A Zen Den sensory space with calming strategies, fidget toys, noise-cancelling headphones and other ways to help children de-escalate
A set capacity for each play session to avoid overcrowding and the ability to reserve ahead of time online to guarantee your spot
We fully reset and sanitize our play space between each play session
A fully nut-free facility
A fully dye-free menu
Locally sourced coffee and snack options
Co-working office with a live-stream of the play space and Child Minders to watch your kid while you work
Seasonal toy rotation to keep things fresh and interesting
Montessori and Waldorf inspired space with a mix of gross motor, fine motor and imaginative play
Socks=only play space for health and safety purposes
We are on a journey of “finding balance and belonging together”
What are your plans for the future?
We look forward to growing our Plaza Pals Child Minder services as awareness continues to spread!
Pricing:
- $10/child for 3-hour play session (adults and infants in arms are free)
- 5 & 10 play passes that never expire
- monthly memberships are our best value and include 10% discount on all cafe purchases
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stompinggroundsgr.com/
- Instagram: @stomping.grounds.play.cafe
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090929711815
