Entrepreneurial moms combine coffee, kids play place, for new business

A pair of Lakewood Ranch moms and entrepreneurs have opened a new business combining two things most parents love: a nice place for kids to play that also serves coffee.

The business, Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe, provides a space for those up to 6 years old to play, as well as a cafe where adults can enjoy coffee. Off State Road 64 at 1845 Lakewood Ranch Blvd., the business officially opened on Monday.

Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe came to fruition after a year and a half of work. Founders Chelsi Thompson and Hannah O’Reilly started planning the play cafe in October 2024, O’Reilly says.

Photo by Dy’Shone Hayes

“We just really wanted a safe place for both parents and kids, a place where they can connect and make core memories,” O’Reilly says in an email. “Giving caregivers a place to connect and relax while their children are safely playing and enriched gives so much peace of mind that parents desperately need in these little years.”

Thompson has two children, ages 6 and 8, while O’Reilly has four children, including 6-year-old twins, an 8-year-old and a 14-year-old. The founders' children helped inspire the playhouses featured throughout the business. Among them are a gas station, house, beach–themed snack shack, corner market and medical center. There are also costumes and toys like cars and a cash register to engage children's sense of wonder. A separate space is set aside for children up to 18 months old.

The 2,800-square-foot facility used to be a dance studio, O’Reilly says. She and Thompson oversaw the gutting, complete renovation and build-out of the space. Now, half of it is dedicated to play, while the other half encompasses the cafe, a boutique and party rooms.

“The response has been overwhelmingly wonderful,” says O’Reilly. “We are selling out for multiple-hour blocks throughout the day, and people have ranted and raved after their play sessions about how much fun their kids have had.”

Photo by Dy’Shone Hayes

Reservations are encouraged. People can sign up for 1.5-hour play sessions online for $20. Grip socks are required. Memberships are $80 a month or $800 for a year.

Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe has six employees, and O’Reilly says the plan is to expand this summer when school is no longer in session.

The founders also operate a mobile party business. In September 2025, the Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe acquired soft play company Happy Tots Play Co. Now, Lakewood Ranch Play Cafe's mobile party arm specializes in mobile soft play for children 3 and under as well as balloon installations.