Let the Kids Be Little at Playgrounds Café in Waukee

Playgrounds Café in Waukee has opened its doors to parents and children of Greater Des Moines (DSM). The space, which includes three playhouses, a playground, a 0–18-month zone, a mother's room and a full café, is thoughtfully designed for families. Owner Natalie Goodall began envisioning the business as a coworking space with supervised care, but eventually morphed into what it is today, which includes a full coffee bar featuring locally roasted coffee beans from Windmill Coffee Roasters. You don’t even have to utilize the play space or stay at the venue. Playgrounds Café offers to-go and curbside ordering of prepared drinks, pastries and pre-packaged snacks like Boobie Bars!

Goodall and her husband live in Urbandale but grew up in the Cedar Rapids area before moving to Texas for five years. In 2019, they moved back to Iowa and decided to plant their roots in DSM. When they decided to start Playgrounds Café, it was their first business venture and first foray into commercial leasing. Because so much in Waukee is new, there is a cost, but they decided to move forward with a Waukee space because so many families have chosen to make the community their home.

About Playgrounds Café

Goodall continues to work full-time and run Playgrounds Café along with her husband, but they have hired a full staff made up of a full-time manager and part-time students, childcare professionals and stay-at-home moms who started out as customers that first week in April.

Playgrounds Café rents out the whole space for parties, too, so weekends are busy with parties from either 2 – 4 p.m. or 5 – 7 p.m. The venue offers three different party packages for the space:

• The Sandbox – a do-it-yourself option ($350)
• The Swing Set – the venue provides food and drinks, you provide decorations ($475)
• The Big Slide – the venue does it all ($550)

If you’re looking for a venue for a birthday party, baby shower or other event, Playgrounds Café is a great option.

 

In the future, Goodall has a lot of ideas when it comes to creating a welcoming space, including weekly music classes, exercise classes and just giving moms and kids more opportunities to connect. With high daycare costs, a lot of families are beginning to choose to keep their kids at home, but parents still want an outlet to socialize. Playgrounds Café helps them meet that need!

Interested in learning more about Playgrounds Café? Visit playgrounds-café.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram. Or see the fun for yourself when you bring your little in for a two-hour play session. Book a session to ensure your spot; walk-ins are welcome, but not guaranteed.

The Greater Des Moines Partnership celebrates the Greater Des Moines (DSM) entrepreneur community and helps small businesses succeed with one-of-a-kind resources and opportunities for networking. Find out how other entrepreneurs have found success by reading their stories and attending local small business events in the region.