Play cafe opens at 74th and Troost

By Sara Wiercinski

Drive down Troost Avenue and you will notice the bright signs for Little Explorers Play Room, the creation of owner Shavonne Mann, who opened the indoor play cafe July 3 of this year. 

The building was formerly home to longtime child care facility, Kings Kids, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Mann purchased the building the same year, and set to work with help from family on the renovations.

Mann first considered the idea of opening a play cafe after hosting her daughter Adrielle’s first birthday party, six years ago. 

“I made the cake, I made the balloons, I had to figure out everything,” said Mann. “I thought, ‘I want to open a place where I can do this for people. To make it fun and easy.’”

The play cafe is aimed for children from birth through age 6 and their families. There’s a bounce room with a rock climbing wall and Little Explorers Market–a grocery store setup complete with produce, working cash registers and a play coffee stand. Babies and toddlers aged 2 and under have their own play area, and there’s a birthday party room accommodating up to 24 children. 

Mann selected and designed play activities based on her own experience as a parent and many years working at Emmanuel Family and Child Development Center, at 47th and Prospect, which her mother Deborah Mann founded in 1986.

“We’re teaching these kids socio-emotional skills, along with counting and spatial skills. They are playing, pretending and having a blast, and we know they are learning, too,” said Mann.

Tickets for two hours of open play cost $12 per child ($10 for additional siblings), $8 per child aged 1 and younger, and $5 per adult. Throughout the month, Little Explorers hosts special activities like child/parent yoga and themed movie nights. 

In two months, Mann has welcomed more families dropping in to play together and field trips from preschools. She has six birthday parties scheduled for the month of September.

The successful opening came after years of work. Typically building contractors handle initiating certain pieces required in the business licensing process. Since Mann renovated the building herself, she encountered complications and unforeseen delays. 

The former child care facility on the site had been in operation for twenty years, and was “grandfathered” in around key regulation–meaning more updates and steps than Mann expected. When construction finished, she had to wait through a two-month backlog for the final walk-through with the fire department. Mann persisted in working with the city, and after seven months received the official business and food licenses and could open for business.

“I am excited to be here, to be a resource to the community, particularly those along the Troost Max bus line.” said Mann. “We are creating a safe space here.”

Next month, Mann will start offering a drop in option for teleworking parents who need supervised childcare. The cost will be $25 for two hours of play per child, and includes a desk and wifi access for working. Mann plans to eventually open a conference space to accommodate meetings and zoom calls.

On a recent Sunday morning, Kelsey Saragnese and Candice Crafton brought their 16-month-old daughter Izzy for a morning of play at Little Explorers. The family lives in the neighborhood, and Saragnese had noticed the refreshed building while driving home.

“It’s great to have a spot to take your kids when it’s just too hot to go to the playground,” said Saragnese. “We have heard of these places in North Kansas City and in Lee’s Summit. It’s really special to have it located here, particularly on the east side of Troost.”

The Little Explorers Cafe serves freshly squeezed flavored lemonade, fruit smoothies and coffee–hot or iced, whipped up by Mann herself who learned barista skills from TikTok. Food items include pizza, nachos and corn dogs, a daily pastry offering (apple turnovers are the most popular) and signature homemade crepes from Mann’s sister, Daisy– topped with fruit, nutella or cookie butter.

Mann is already expanding, with plans to designate an area for children ages 7-10. Many of her families have siblings who, Mann said, “need a place to wind down and chill, just like the little kids.” Bigger kids can get homework help, do arts and crafts and play video games together. 

Little Explorers Play Room is open Tuesday through Thursday 9 am to 3 pm, and Friday through Sunday 9 am through 6 pm. Learn more at www.littleexplorersplayroom.com.