Smarties, let me introduce you to Patricia Mendez Carrothers, the mother of an autistic son named Charles, who has come up with an amazing concept: an indoor play area suitable for children with sensory needs where their parents can unwind over a cup of coffee! Not only has she come up with the ideal concept, she’s bringing it to life. Unwind Indoor Play Cafe is under construction in Pineville. We will keep you up to date on grand opening plans! In the meantime, read on to find out Patricia’s story and what will make the Unwind Indoor Cafe such a wonderful option. – Smarty Carroll
Play Café Concept, Mission and Vision
Unwind Play café is a family-friendly coffee shop featuring sensory play! Only parents with small children could understand: the difficultly of squeezing a stroller into small spaces, little or no room to sit with the whole family, trying to keep your child quiet long enough to enjoy a cup of coffee, and the discomfort you feel when your child begins to disturb other patrons.
The mission for our organization is to create safe, clean and relaxing environments for parents to enjoy with their small children. As a parent, the number of establishments where you can go with your small children comfortably are limited. Play areas will be restricted to children under 8 years old.
Our long-term vision is to build as many kid-friendly places as possible in our community that also cater to the parents needs and specially for those with sensory needs.
At Unwind, we will take pride in our customer service excellence, our high sanitation standards and our special needs awareness and servicing.
Unwind Design
The design of the park was inspired by the Neobio Kids Restaurant in Shanghai, China in combination with the Lalalu Kids Café in the UK!
The play café will have open and visible areas, the seating areas are designed around the play areas for easy access and peace of mind. The crawlways are made of transparent acrylic, so parents can look after their children playing. Providing parents an opportunity to talk over coffee, breath and have some “me” time while kids can go play at their will.
With this concept, parents no longer have to worry about their children running amok! The play café will meet the needs of both parents and children.
Play Areas
The play café will be approximately 6,000 square feet with an open-space concept. There will be 5 play areas, 2 private party room. The five play areas include: wall of sensory LED lights, foam pool with climbing wall and monkey bars, Indoor sand pit with clear walls and brush-off station, Infant play area, children playground with slide to a giant ball pit, and a private room for occupational therapy that will be provided on-site through one of our partners.
Sensory playgrounds use activities and equipment to stimulate all senses, promoting and encouraging development in kids. Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.
Sand is the perfect natural resource for developing fine motor skills – building strength and control. This is quickly achieved through digging, shaping, and writing. Sand play also promotes large muscle groups and physical development. Sand play increases sensory skills, fine motor skills, hand eye coordination, creativity, and logic and language development. This activity invites children to investigate naturally and start early introductions of science and experimentation.
Cost, Hours of Operation
One-hour passes will be $10, two-hour passes $16 and monthly passes $90 per child. Children 11 months and under will be free with paid sibling. Guardians are admitted free.
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m
Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday 1 to 6 p.m.
601 N. Polk Street, Suite C
Pineville, N.C.
E-mail: info@unwindindoorplaycafe.com
