The perfect blend: Stanleys create café that combines beverages with play area for young children

QUINCY — Something different is brewing on Quincy’s east side.

Playgroundz Play Café, 4817 Broadway, is the area’s newest locally owned café. It offers everyone’s favorite beverage pick-me-ups, along with an area for young children to safely play with engaging Montessori materials. Owners Rob and Adaline Stanley recently moved back home to Quincy and have spent the past year building the business, next to Harbor Freight under the red roof, to create their dream for the perfect blend. 

The ”something different” that this café offers is a playground area designed for kids up to age 5. A separate smaller play area is designed for non-walkers. The main playground is not your ordinary “play place” playground. Every detail, down to the color of theme, was designed specifically with the goal of simplicity. The materials found in the play area are designed to engage communication, focus and brain development. They are hard materials, mostly wood that is thoroughly sanitized daily. The playground has no cloth materials or slides to throw up in. 

Adaline is an occupational therapist who works with adults at Blessing Hospital. She worked as an occupational therapist in pediatrics in eastern Oregon, where she designed an outpatient peds department from scratch. It included her own design for a treatment base. Her experience helped design the playground build — something she deemed her “passion project, to still be able to work with kids.”

She expressed her concern in overstimulation, especially in play in the core developmental years for children (up to age 5). “More isn’t better,” she said.

She explained how overstimulation can lead to sensory overload in both children and adults. According to the National Institutes of Health, sensory overload can lead to a range of symptoms and reactions, both mental and physical. 

Rob was taking on a stay-at-home dad role when he saw an opportunity for a different niche — a simple and safe play place for young children. While he believes Quincy has a few great spots for children, he admits he will wait until his daughter is a little older before taking her to see them.  For now, this was something he could make happen with another passion of his — carpentry. 

The café has something for everyone. It is the perfect spot to which parents, grandparents and caregivers can bring their littles and invest in a fundamental kind of play. 

That pure and simple play isn’t just for the littles. You can play classic board games with your preteen before they don’t want to be seen with you anymore. Sip on a lotus without the distractions of tablets or TVs and have a conversation with a friend.

Need a warm, bright place with Wi-Fi to finish that paper? Plop down at a table, grab a French Toast Latte and make it happen.

Adaline designed most of the café, and Rob built it. The bar, countertop, fun door frames, and the picture wall were all a product of his craftmanship. Adaline and Rob value the importance in a play environment that is simple, safe and developmentally encouraging. They are proud of each other, and it shows.

Rob mentioned Adaline’s experience made her the perfect person to design this needed community attraction. Adaline attributed Rob’s skills in manufacturing and marketing a product to bringing it to life. Together, the Stanleys are the perfect blend of people to make this perfect blend of a business.

Playgroundz Play Café supports other small businesses by serving tea from the Quincy Tea Co. and coffee beans that are roasted locally at Electric Fountain Brewing. I knew I was having some Deja brew. Local supporting local is something valued in this community. 

Whether you’ve hit that midafternoon crash and need coffee and cruellers stat, or you just need a place to recharge, the folks at Playgroundz can help. Playgroundz is the perfect place for people who work on the east side of town to grab their afternoon coffee or lotus on a quick break or sit and relax in a warm vibe. 

The cost is $7 for a play pass, with an option of a play pass punch card with 10 passes for $50. Check out their Facebook page for specials on the passes. They are running a grand opening special of 10 play passes for $35. That’s $3.50 a pass if you haven’t had your coffee.

Get it while it’s hot.