Parents can now kick back with a cuppa as their kids play at a new combination coffee house/playroom on St. Albert Trail.
Hot Coffee Café and Play opened at 410 St. Albert Trail on July 15. The business combines a coffee house with an indoor play area for youths aged nine months to seven years.
St. Albert resident and café co-owner Holly Lloy said she got the idea for this business from her experiences as a mother to four girls aged two to 15.
“There’s no jobs for teenagers or young adults in St. Albert,” she said, and no place she and her husband/café co-owner Tyler Ruhl could have their toddler run about as they chatted with friends.
“This is just kind of a crazy idea I came up with and my husband supported me.”
Lloy said this was the first business she and Ruhl had ever started, although both had backgrounds in sales and rental properties. She likened it to an upscale version of the playroom in St. Albert’s downtown McDonalds.
“We really want it to be a calm place for parents and kids. There’s nothing like it in St. Albert.”
Lloy said they had originally planned to set up shop in Jensen Lakes before another tenant nabbed their preferred spot. She stumbled upon the café’s current location while driving and fell in love with its big, bright windows. Ruhl came up with the café’s name — the logo spells “Hot” as “H [heart symbol] T,” which stands for “Holly, Love, Tyler”.
The café consists of a traditional coffee shop with a children’s play area next door. The play area has tables and seats for parents and a slide, climbing wall, and playset for kids. Parents can book 1.5 hour slots in the playroom for $6 per kid, and must supervise their children at all times.
“We’ve had a lot of sold-out sessions already,” Lloy said, with Mondays being particularly popular.
The coffee-shop side of the café features comfy chairs, a fireplace, pictures of local landmarks by Lulubee Photography, and treats from St. Albert’s Buddha Belly Baking. Lloy said most of the staff live in St. Albert, and some were baristas at the St. Albert Good Earth Coffeehouse before it closed.
Lloy said business at the café has been pretty good so far, especially on rainy or hot days. She and Ruhl planned to host events in it in the months ahead, and hoped the place would become a community gathering spot
“Our 13-year-old [daughter] is counting the days before she can work here,” she said.
The café is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Visit www.hotcoffeecafe.ca for details.
