Year-One Lessons from The Playroom WV: A Q&A with Owner Jessalyn Pustay

Note: The following Q&A is not a direct transcript. The answers are a polished summary and combination of the insights Jessalyn shared during our recorded conversation, along with additional written responses she provided ahead of time.

When Jessalyn Pustay moved from Washington, DC to West Virginia with an 11-day-old baby, she quickly realized something: the high-quality programs and enriching early-childhood spaces she h...

How Indoor Playground Owners Can Increase Revenue, Visibility, and Loyalty During Q4

Today we’re diving into one of the most powerful ways you can increase your revenue, visibility, and customer loyalty during the fourth quarter: low-lift, high-impact holiday events that actually sell out.

But before we get into the specifics, I want to address something indoor playground owners feel every December but don’t always say out loud: the holiday season is overwhelming — and not just inside yo...

Every December, one topic resurfaces in every indoor playground Facebook group, in my DMs, and inside Play Maker Society: the hope that customers will “shop small” and choose your play café over Amazon during the holiday rush.

And while I love this sentiment—and I’ve built my entire business around supporting small brick-and-mortar owners—we also need to be brutally realistic. Parents don’t default to Amazon out of loyalty. They default to Amazon because it is easy.

Parents shop while wa...

Managing your team is one of the hardest parts of owning a play café or indoor playground. It’s one of the most complex, time-consuming, and often most draining aspects of being an owner.

You might have started this business because you love creating beautiful spaces, connecting with families, or designing the perfect birthday parties. But before long, you find yourself trying to manage a crew of high school students, college kids, and maybe a few stay-at-home parents working during schoo...

The Hidden Risks of Buying Into a Play Café Franchise

For many aspiring indoor-playground owners, buying into a play café or children’s activity franchise seems like the safest route. On paper, it promises a ready-made brand, a proven business plan, and an experienced team guiding your every step. But in reality—especially in the indoor-play and play-café space—franchising is often a financial and emotional trap disguised as a shortcut.

As someone who’s coached and consulted hundre...

Why We Need to Talk About Exiting — Without the Stigma

This topic might feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s one of the most important conversations we can have as indoor playground owners — or even if you’re just considering entering this industry.

And my goal here is not just to shed light on this topic, but also to completely remove the stigma around it.

The truth is, almost 100% of people who enter this industry will exit at some point — whether that means selling their business fo...

Halloween month is here — and if you’re an indoor playground or play café owner who hasn’t planned a big event yet… take a deep breath. You are not behind.

I know this time of year can feel overwhelming. Between school parades, trunk-or-treat events, and packed community calendars, many owners feel pressure to throw an elaborate Halloween bash. But here’s the truth: most parents aren’t looking for one more big commitment. They’re looking for something easy, cozy, and fun — especially families w...

Launching and running an indoor playground or play café is exciting, but legal issues like trademarks, copyrights, and cease and desist letters are often overlooked until they cause real problems. In fact, more and more owners are facing intimidating legal claims from competitors—sometimes valid, sometimes baseless.

To help clarify the confusion, I sat down with attorney MJ Morley of MJ Morley Law PC to discuss the most important steps every current and prospective indoor playground owner shoul...

As an indoor playground owner, you didn’t start your business so you could spend your evenings chasing down late payments, manually following up on half-completed party inquiries, or answering customer DMs while you’re apple picking with your kids.

You started because you wanted to create community, provide a magical space for families, and still be present for your own family. But without the right systems in place, that balance can feel impossible.

Automation is the solution.

Automati...

Running an indoor playground or play café isn’t for the faint of heart. You’re managing a brick-and-mortar business in a rapidly evolving industry—while also showing up as a parent, partner, friend, and community leader. It’s a lot. So when I use the term “lazy” in reference to play café owners like myself, know that it’s entirely tongue-in-cheek. None of us would have made it through the business plan stage—let alone opening day—if we were truly lazy.

Instead, we’re relentlessly prioriti...