The old expression “that’s child’s play” is supposed to mean a task is easy. Shaun Doolarchan knows the opposite is true. The co-founder of the indoor playground Kidz at Play faced complex challenges bringing his family’s vision to life. And then, he had to keep the new business alive.
“Kidz at Play actually started in 2019,” Doolarchan remembered. “That was when we found the location and got started, but it took a long time with the city to get all the permits. Then, we got ripped off by a contractor who really had no idea what he was doing, and then we had to find a new contractor to fix the messes the first contractor made. This was while I was still working a full time job and building the business. I ended up painting the walls myself to save money and get things done. And then, the pandemic hit!”
Today, there is no sign of those complex challenges inside the walls of Kidz at Play. The atmosphere in the Millcreek Drive unit is built and re-built each day from the joy and excitement of small children. The concept, which evolved from Doolarchan’s own daughter’s room, is a small town where children’s imaginations have free reign. They shop in the grocery store or operate the scanner, they drive diggers and bulldozers, they serve ice cream, and they run the beauty shop. Parents have captured every visit’s unique joy in YouTube videos, on Instagram Posts, and in countless pictures shared across social media.
“What our concept helps parents do is safely hand play over to their children and let them guide the flow and pace,” Doolarchan explained. “In Kidz at Play, parents can spend time together and stand back. They can just be curious about how their kids explore and discover, and let themselves be drawn into their kids’ imaginations and the world they are creating through play.”
Underneath the small town playground, is a sophisticated digital infrastructure that helps Doolarchan operate the business and save parents’ time.
“On our new website, parents can buy tickets and we can make regular updates. So, if we have a field trip group coming in, and are working more limited public hours, parents will know in advance,” Doolarchan said. “It also helps with booking parties and making sure we have availability quickly. We had a customer in Dubai who booked a party room weeks in advance of coming to Canada on vacation so she could meet up with all of her friends and their kids at once. I can also schedule more staff if I know we are hosting multiple events and our staff, many of whom are students, can plan accordingly.”
To help support the digital transformation of Kidz at Play, the business recently received a Digital Transformation Grant through the Digital Main Street Program. The provincially funded program is delivered by IDEA Mississauga, the city’s innovation hub that supports Mississauga’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem by collaboratively supporting businesses to launch and grow. Together, the City of Mississauga and its business owners strive for inclusivity, diversity, sustainability and global engagement. Doolarchan plans to use the $2500 in funding to expand Kidz at Play’s digital marketing strategy.
Kidz at Play does have some unique marketing demands. While many businesses can convert their social media audiences into customers and then focus on retaining them as customers, businesses that deliver goods and services to children’s parents can’t do that. Parents on social media are active and willing to share their experiences, but children grow up quickly and Kidz at Play has to build awareness among successive generations of new parents, toddlers, and small children.
“Simrit at IDEA Mississauga reached out to us about the program and she has been just amazing and helpful,” Doolarchan said. “We need to continuously reach each new wave of parents and she has really helped us identify all of the ways we can do that.”
While child’s play still isn’t simple, the success of Kidz at Play has inspired Doolarchan to overcome any future challenges they might face.
“We have a parent whose child has autism who drives an hour and half from out of town to bring their child here once every three weeks or so,” Doolarchan said. “They told us this is the only place where their child feels comfortable and they don’t have to worry about meltdowns or acting out. It means so much to know that we’ve created a space that provides that kind of comfort and safety. It’s exactly what we dreamed of accomplishing.”
