I'm really excited about our first month of highlighting a local mom boss! We first found Princeton Playspace after a friend recommended it last year. My kiddos love it! Not only do they have a great indoor space, but they're constantly doing activities including storytime, crafts, yoga and more! I chatted a bit with the owner Alpin and she shared a little about how she started, some upcoming fun summer events, and her favorite thing about her business.
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Q: I’d love to hear how you got the idea of the Princeton Playspace. What problem were you trying to solve?
A: We used to live in Manhattan where we would take our then 1 year old son, Roman, to indoor playgrounds all over NYC including Brooklyn, Queens, etc. and he would have so much fun pretending, problem solving and meeting new kiddos. We knew it was time to move to the suburbs since space was getting tight in our New York City apartment. As much as we loved the city and having Central Park as our backyard, we wanted Roman to have the same experience we had growing up. I actually grew up in the area, so we thought it would be the perfect place to raise our children! After doing some home searching we also realized there was a need for a unique indoor playground and birthday party venue that would meet the high standards of families near and far that make both children and parents happy. After much research, we came up with the concept of Princeton Playspace where I could combine the love for my profession (speech therapy) and play. We wanted a space where kids could be kids and parents could easily supervise them from our cafe area. Children are free to play, learn, imagine, socialize, and explore while their parents can relax, catch up on e-mails, and enjoy a cup of coffee. We also offer a variety of classes & special events ranging from superhero visits, princess nights, wildlife shows, and more!
Q: Have you started a business before?
A: Yes I actually still have speech therapy practice in NYC with my business partner called Gift of Gab Resources. I still take the train into the city a couple days a week to see my clients and we also provide speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy at Princeton Playspace. In fact, we offer complimentary 10-15 screenings the first Thursday of every month to see if a full evaluation or therapy is necessary. Just email us at play@princetonplayspace.com to book your appointment!
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Q: What was the hardest or scariest part of starting this business?
A: Opening any business is of course risky, but we did a lot of research to make sure it was the best decision and something needed in the area. I contacted local moms, had focus groups, posted in Facebook mommy groups, etc. to see how families would react to the idea. Before we opened we even had local mom groups try out the space to get feedback. We are very lucky and fortunate that it was received so well by the community & are forever thankful to our families.
Q: What does your family think of this adventure?
A: What would we do without our family? From Day 1 they were extremely supportive and continue to be such a huge support especially in terms of helping out with our now 4-year old Roman and 6-month old Pierce. None of this would have been possible without them!
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Q: What are you most proud of with your company?
A: I think the thing that makes me most happy is having people meet for the first time at Princeton Playspace - children and adults - and seeing new friendships form. One thing that comes to mind that happened recently is a new family that has a monthly membership bring their children almost every day. They just moved from another country and are not fluent in English, but it is amazing to see how they are able to form fast friendships, play for hours, communicate, engage in dramatic play, etc. Play is a universal language and it brings people together.
And remember anything is possible - whether you are an already working mom or dad, a stay at home mom or dad, etc. if you have an idea that you think will positively impact your community just go for it! If you put 150% effort into anything in life... if you live it, breathe it - it will succeed!
Q: What’s next? Any plans that you can share? What fun things are going on this summer that you're really excited about?
A: We play around with the idea of opening up another Princeton Playspace in a different part of New Jersey, but time will tell. In the near future though we will be adding new elements to the indoor playground area, which we're excited to unveil! And for the summer, we have our exciting special events like Lunch with Captain America, an evening with Ariel from Little Mermaid, Breakfast with Minnie, our signature Little Zookeepers class, the annual icecream social and lots more! To sign up on our newsletter for upcoming events click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to subscribe: http://princetonplayspace.com/visit-us/. And of course follow us on social media @princetonplayspace - we can't wait to have you come & play!
Remember anything is possible..... if you put 150% effort into anything in life... if you live it, breathe it - it will succeed!
I'm so glad we could highlight Princeton Playspace and Alpin for our first mom boss article! She is definitely rocking it! If you haven't had a chance to check out Princeton Playspace yet- this should be number one on your summer bucket list! Escape the heat or the rain or check out our calendar for a full list of events they have going on.
If you're a mom boss and would like to be featured in one of our monthly mom boss articles- email me at kelseyp@macaronikid.com If you're chosen, we will do a featured article and you'll receive a business directory listing for FREE for the rest of the year. I'm so excited to be sharing local mom bosses and their business!
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