The Playroom celebrates one year of fun for children next Tuesday, September 30.
In years past, Morgantown parents have sometimes struggled to find engaging and socializing activities for their young children, especially in winter. But lots of options have opened over the past few years—among them, The Playroom, opened last fall at the Mountaineer Mall.
“The Playroom is an indoor play center for young kids and families,” explains owner Jessalyn Pustay. “We focus mostly on kids 5 and under, not quite school-aged yet. It’s set up kind of like a small museum where kids can come in and play.”
The single big room holds all kinds of play stations: a slide and a balance beam, a puppet theater, a play food truck, and sensory and Lego tables. A fire station and a grocery store are built into one corner, and a loft with wide, easy steps is built into another.
Some of the toys and play stations are changed out every week so it’s a little bit different every time kids come, says Pustay, who herself has two young children and worked for a larger kids’ franchise before opening her own independent place. Parents and caregivers stay in the facility, and they can relax at the sidelines or play with their children. Toys are cleaned and sanitized every day, Pustay says, with a deeper antimicrobial treatment every quarter.
The play center is independently owned, but it’s part of a concept that’s popular across the U.S. called play cafes, Pustay says. Many have an adjacent cafe, and she hopes to have one open in the coming few months.
The Playroom holds frequent special events. “Last weekend we had a world travelers–themed playdate sponsored by a local travel agent,” Pustay says. “We had stations about Japan, France, Hawaii, and Australia.” A craft project and play stations were based on the theme: for Japan, a pretend play tea set-up, for example, and for France, a bistro set-up with a play espresso machine. “This week we have play groups themed around Little Blue Truck, a popular kids’ book right now, and we’ll do a story time and play stations set up around the theme.”
Single-day play at The Playroom is $14 for the first child and $10 for each additional child. You can also get discounted 5-play and 10-play passes, and, for unlimited play, membership is $50/month for the first child and $35 for each additional child. All of these can be bought in advance online. Dropping in is fine, although there is a capacity limit, Pustay says, so, as the weather turns colder, it’s best to make a reservation, even if it’s right before you show up.
The Playroom hosts birthday parties, too—including its own. Next Tuesday, September 30, The Playroom celebrates its first year providing safe and stimulating play for kids with a birthday bash, a ticketed event with sessions from 9 to 11 a.m., noon to 2 p.m., and 3 to 5 p.m.
“We’ll have a professional photo booth with a fun background for the kids. We’ll have a decorate-your-own-cupcake station, a temporary tattoo station, and bubble dance parties, and we’ll reveal our new themed playhouse—we’re changing our fire station to a construction site,” Pustay says. “We’re doing giveaways as well. One is a pretend play cardboard house that kids can build and decorate, and there will be three smaller giveaways, so there’s at least one giveaway each session of the party.”
Learn more about The Playroom on the website.
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