CARLSBAD, CA — A new play space in northern San Diego County aims to elevate the indoor playground experience and redefine family fun.
Born of parenting struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by nature, and now brought to life by award-winning design, a San Diego couple recently opened Kids & Coffee in Carlsbad to cater to both children and adults.
“We like to think of Kids & Coffee as the ‘Erewhon of indoor playground experiences,'” said Vivian Ho, co-founder of Kids & Coffee, referencing Erewhon Market, an upscale supermarket chain.
“It’s beautifully designed and an elevated destination in and of itself,” she told Patch. “For parents and caregivers of young children, it’s the perfect playdate oasis that’s supportive. Families will enjoy visiting time and time again.”
Ho and her husband, Ken Li, brought their pandemic-inspired vision to life by transforming a nearly 12,000-square-foot office space into a family-friendly destination where children ages 0-8 can independently plan and learn.
Kids & Coffee features imaginative play structures, including a mini grocery store, as well as soft play zones, parkour elements and sensory-driven spaces such as a ball pit with 23,000 balls and multiple slides.
“Kids & Coffee was born of COVID, as Ken and I were trying to navigate how to raise young children while working full time,” explained Ho, who has two daughters, 3-year-old Layla and 1-year-old Ellie. “We would visit local playgrounds or community centers and noticed that traditional family and children’s entertainment centers solely focused on the child and left us, the adults, feeling overstimulated and underserved.
“We knew there was a better way — and started to reimagine the power of play with an accessible indoor option for early childhood development, a community that was supportive and enticing for caregivers, plus offered educational resources,” she added. “Kids & Coffee is unique to the North County market because it checks all of these boxes.”
Kids & Coffee, also designed with parents and caregivers in mind, offers a cafe and lounge. The cafe serves specialty coffee from Mostra Coffee, as well as light refreshments, including fresh pastries and sandwiches.
In addition to offering a play space, cafe and lounge, Ho said Kids & Coffee aims to be a community hub that provides educational resources and support for the real challenges that modern parents face.
“We’re looking forward to bringing in experts and the medical community to cover topics like postpartum depression, infertility, parenting techniques, potty training and more, with free seminars and workshops on these relevant issues for both parents and non-parents,” she said.
Programming will include seasonal events such as family holiday photoshoots and winter festivities. Kids & Coffee also offers private, multi-functional event spaces with an in-house event planning team for birthdays, baby showers and other events.
“We handle everything from decor to entertainment and everything in between,” Ho said. “It’s one less thing parents need to put on their ever-growing to-do list.”
Kids & Coffee opened Nov. 9 and celebrated its grand opening Saturday at 2310 Camino Vida Roble, Suite 101, in Carlsbad.
The grand opening celebration included a Certificate of Recognition from the city, as well as an appearance from beloved children’s show character Bluey.
“We’re so incredibly grateful for the outpour of support from the North County community,” Ho said. “The best moments for us are when we see the eyes of the kids light up the second they walk into our space, then to see mom and dad’s shoulders relax because they know this was made for them too — wish I could bottle that up! It’s magical.”
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