By Kelly Youngblood
Just four months after opening its doors, The Play Day Café in St. Joseph has closed.
Owner Ashley Sjuts shared the following post on Oct. 10 on The Play Day Café’s Facebook page.
“After months of trying to make it work unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be need for this kind of service. We will be closing our doors today. Thank you to all of you who shared and enjoyed what we offered. I made so many new friends and met so many great mamas. I wish I could keep doing forever because I really do believe this is a great resource for parents.”
The Play Day Café opened in June 2017 at 211 East Lincoln St. in St. Joseph, a prime downtown location within walking distance of other local businesses. The space was one of active imagination for kids with lots of toys and books. The business had one-time rates as well as memberships available.
With its tagline, “Adulting is hard, getting out with kids shouldn’t be,” Sjuts invited parents and caregivers to come in and enjoy free coffee and conversation while children played.
“My mission is to give them a space to come and relax,” Sjuts said in a March story on chambanamoms.com. Messages for this story weren’t returned.
The Play Day Cafe offered a bright, modern, whimsical indoor space with a wide variety of unique toys. Sjuts also planned birthday parties and other special events at the cafe.
The Play Day Cafe seemed like a popular spot for many families in the area. One Chambana mom described her experience there as “dreamy.”
“The decor is clean, on trend, and straight out of an Instagram feed. As a mother of four boys, I appreciated the ‘prettiness’ of the space,” said Kimberly Ashbrook of Homer.
Sjuts said on her Facebook page she plans to do a pop-up playgroup in the future.