What would you get if you cross a Starbucks with a pre-school? Probably something like Cartwheel & Coffee. The Carytown coffee shop, which opened mid-August, allows parents with children to enjoy their latte without the little curtain climbers tugging at their arm.
For a small fee, patrons can divert the munchkins to supervised, age-designated spaces. Children under six play on a wooden jungle gym, while older children can sit at tables where they can read and play games. There’s place, too, for infants, where they can stick random objects in their mouths, or whatever it is that infants like to do. The shop maintains a staff of 10 to look after the rug rats.
The coffee shop is the creation of Chris Barras, pastor of Area 10 Faith Community, writes Louis Llovio in today’s Metro Business. The coffee shop is owned by the church, though it operates as separate business. Profits will go to the church as donations for missionary work and other projects.
Said Barras: "We wanted to create a place in the city where kids could come play and where parents could just hang back and talk to other parents. There was nothing else like it in the city."
There is a similar coffee shop, however, near Woodlake in Chesterfield County: the Chat & Play Café.