Cool Kids Club/Cafe near Northcote Rd Urgently Needed! Post Reply

[SLP]

Just wanted to put that out there : )

Am I the only one that can't believe there isn't a spacious cafe-meets-kids-play-area this side of Battersea??

Somewhere that runs classes all day, with room for buggies, where you can get a decent coffee/bite to eat.

Been desperately waiting for Eat, Play, Love on Battersea Rise to reopen as that's the only place I know of that offers the above.

Anyone know of anywhere else - or know of anything planned??

SLP

[iLikeapples]

It doesn't really compare in terms of play area, but NorthcoteBabyMassage runs classes at the plough on St Johns Hill Monday to wednesdays. The place itself is decent, not sure about the classes though but walk past once as we live around the corner and it looked good.
Also I think Eat, Play, Love has reopened (not fully). Anyone knows more about that?
Keep us updated if you find somewhere good as I'm always looking for new places too

[lemonzest]

Some friends have recommended the Bees Knees at BAC, but I haven't been there myself I'm afraid. NB it's not open at the weekends, which is the main reason I haven't visited!

[Annabel (admin)]

Hi
If I can link to this thread.

http://www.nappyvalleynet.com/mums/view ... 15&t=44069

There have been a number of discussions along these lines before, the big issue you have is the contrast between property/operating costs (high) and revenue from sparse cups of coffee/parties/food (can be quite low).

Not saying it's not a good idea but it's hard to make the spreadsheet look nice!

[SLP]

Thanks Annabel... I guessed as much! And interesting to see the owners of Eddie Katz's take on it.

I would happily pay to be a member of somewhere / pay a cover charge to spend a morning/aftn somewhere decent... but totally get that it's a tricky one and that's why there aren't more places that are equally adult and child friendly.

Just wish one of the larger operators... Giraffe, Pret, Starbucks(!?) would get with the programme and start a small chain of places - it MUST be doable!

SLP

[nannyS]

As well as http://www.eddiecatz.com/ there is also a play cafe I tried recently in Balham http://www.bertieandboo.com/adventure-island/

Have fun!

[juliantenniscoach]

I think Annabel's link/post shows the problem. The rents are too high here to have a "space" that isn't profit generating. Can the type of space you have in mind generate enough profit from what 9.30am-4pm? I'm not sure unless they did have a significant cover charge. It's an interesting calculation!

I notice the mexican restaurant on Battersea Rise J/W Leathwaite has become vacant again. That is one of those sites that doesn't seem to work whatever is opened.

[SLP]

Was wondering about Bertie & Boo, must check it out - thanks nannyS!

That site (the former Mexican called 'the cockroach' in Spanish, if I remember right..!?) would be perfect for a small but well-formed baby/kid-friendly cafe
juliantenniscoach!

Let's hope the cafe chains I mentioned, http://www.maggieandrose.com/ or http://new.cupcakemum.com/realise what a little goldmine this area could be - soon!

SLP

[oldschoolclub]

Hello!

We are not a cafe but we have a lovely crèche with a play area! And we serve nice coffee and teas, with organic cakes.
The old school club is a creative club in lavender hill, our crèche is mainly used by the mums attending the classes or using the shared workspace but we are planning to add new activities for under 5's which are open to everyone.

We are already running some parent/carer & toddler classes, little crafters and Spanish with ole kids. The new classes will run in the morning and some in the afternoon, including music and storytelling.
We are also happy to host play dates or mums meet ups - afternoons are great for these. Please contact us for more info. There is also a Spanish playgroup running on Monday afternoons.
http://www.theoldschoolclub.co.uk/children-creche/

We look forward to seeing you at the club!
Kind regards,
Inma.

[oldschoolclub]

Oh I forgot to mention this..
if what you need is a nice cafe with a play area please go to Eat Play Love!! They are working for all of us mums to have a lovely place! so please let's support a great small business, have a coffee or two and have some play.

Kind regards
Inma

[zaza107]

I wonder if this is something that could be at least partly-incorporated into the new community bookshop? I'll email Viv in case she hasn't seen this post. I know they have a big job on their plate, but last I heard they were hoping to have community events, classes, etc. (and coffee!) and having a multi-use space solves some of the economic challenges, perhaps.

[SLP]

Ooh, haven't heard about the new bookshop zaza107! Where's it going to be and roughly when are they planning to open?

[zaza107]

I've just emailed the woman who is spearheading the effort, and hopefully she'll provide current details. The idea was to have a community bookshop within the library building, on Northcote Road. It would also have classes, a coffeeshop (I think), talks by interesting local authors, etc. They're in the process of getting things finalised and I'm not sure of timing, but it sounds like it's moving along.

[juliantenniscoach]

Maybe this is the answer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25733143

[AbbevilleMummy]

SLP, Cupcake was in Wandsworth and Putney but they both went bust. I think the company is struggling, maybe due to overexpansion too quickly but I don't think there was enough demand in this area to keep them afloat.

The thing is that it is absolutely not a goldmine in this area and its extremely hard to maintain this business here.

Aside from all the points made on this thread and the other one highlighted above, mums only want that sort of thing for a very short period of time. I know that I certainly felt the same way as you when I had one or even 2 very little ones, but as soon as your kids are old enough to run freely around the park, i.e. from about 3ish, you no longer feel the need for it as such a place becomes very boring for them very quickly and its much cheaper and easier to just go up to the common with a pair of wellies and a take away coffee to let them burn off steam.