Rat race to rug rats
A New Tampa mother trades in a corporate career to operate a children's play gym. Finally, a business model that's all about the fun.
By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN
Published August 6, 2006
TAMPA PALMS -- With 11 years of accounting under her belt, Lara Slatniske was the ultimate corporate worker. She dressed the part and played the role, and her company carried the medical benefits that her husband's job did not.
So why did she find herself on Google one day, researching a career in dog walking?
A brand-new mother at 34, Slatniske needed to re-enter the work force. But the thought of leaving young Brennan left her feeling as empty as her dwindling bank account.
As a compromise, Slatniske opened up Kidz Club, an interactive play center where young children can create piggy snacks out of apples, peek through the windows of a pint-sized fort and sing along with puppets.
It's a mom-and-pop version of corporate play gyms - but without the membership fees and enrollment fees. And there are touches only a parent would think of, like a stool at the sink, a bin for toys that have been slobbered on and a dispenser of antibacterial gel in the dining room.
The best part, for Slatniske, is that Brennan, now 2, is with her all day. He even has his own little room he retreats to for his afternoon naps.
An estimated 71 percent of U.S. mothers have paid jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2000, the youngest child of 61 percent of working mothers was under age 3. That's nearly double what it was in 1975.
It's impossible to quantify how many, like Slatniske, struggle mightily with the prospect of returning to work.
"I didn't want to go back to the corporate world, that's for sure," Slatniske said.
Hers is a story of risk. And, as it's too early to know if this 2-month-old business will succeed, Slatniske is happy with her decision. "It was just the perfect fit for what I wanted in my life," she said.
* * *Slatniske got the idea for Kidz Club at a birthday party, hosted at a similar center in South Tampa.
She and her husband, John, a salesman, took out a $50,000 line of credit on their Richmond Place home. The couple, along with some of their relatives, all chipped in to lay carpet, paint walls and hang shelves at the former site of an orthopedic rehabilitation clinic at the Shoppes of Amberly. They transformed it into a 1,500-square-foot, carpeted playroom featuring colorful toys to ride on, jump from, climb in and put on.
They created a separate room for musical activities and a tiled kitchen and dining area where customers can buy an array of kid-friendly foods - or bring their own.
Two factors seemed to work in their favor: New Tampa had nothing like Kidz Club, and the place was crawling with young families with discretionary income.
They settled on fees of $10 per family for three hours of free play, $7 for a music class, and $15 for a playgroup session or Kidz Crafts time. On steamy summer days, they appear to be just the ticket for families looking to fill an afternoon.
"I'm always looking for fun things to do," said Deborah Metrick, a stay-at-home Manhattan mother who took her son to Kidz Club during a visit with her mother in Temple Terrace. "It's such a good concept. The best part is, you don't have to be a member."
Slatniske's background in accounting helps her stay within her budget. But that's not to say the nurturing mom in her doesn't take over sometimes.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches contain the more expensive all natural peanut butter. Whole wheat is the bread of choice. And a bowl of Starbursts sits on the kitchen counter, free for the taking.
"I know, it's not good for the budget," she said, as she prepared a sandwich for a customer with her gloved hand. "But I can't help it. I like to feed people."
She dislikes name tags; they're too impersonal. She makes an effort to remember everyone's name, children and caregivers.
When one mom had to wrestle a screaming toddler out of the club after a lengthy visit, Slatniske was there to hold the woman's infant daughter. When one dark-haired girl held her hands out, Slatniske swooped her up and cuddled her, then looked to see if son Brennan cared. He's not as jealous as he used to be.
Slatniske has become adept at spotting return clients. She gets down on the floor and plays with them just as she would with her own son.
For Marlene Cousineau, nanny to 3-year-old Christopher Stine and 14-month-old Davis Stine, each visit is three hours of bliss.
"We used to spend lots of time in the park where it was very hot," she said. "And there wasn't much to do with the two of them where they both can have a good time doing the same thing because of their age difference."
Cousineau got to sit back in a giant stuffed beanbag chair and watch the boys romp around. When they grew hungry, she propped Davis into a highchair and fed the boys cheese slices and apple juice that she had packed from home.
"We live for the times to come here," she said. "It gives us time out of the house and out from the front of the TV."
For Slatniske, it's a bridge between bread-winning and mothering. Two months into her first foray as small-business owner, she is all smiles as children surround her, dancing around in plastic firefighter hats, rolling around a ball pit and crawling through a caterpillar tunnel.
She's the only employee right now, doing everything from answering the telephones to singing the songs. But that's all right with her.
"I never imagined I would ever do something like this," Slatniske said. "I am having so much fun."
Dong-Phuong Nguyen can be reached at 813 269-5312 or nguyen@sptimes.com.