Two brothers enjoy snacks at a coloring table at the MHK Play Studio opening event.
Hundreds of Manhattan area community members, parents and children flowed in and out of the newly opened MHK Play Studio in West Manhattan at their grand opening on Thursday, September 1. Children could be found playing and laughing, tucked into the nooks of the many rooms that make up the space, as parents chatted over drinks and snacks.
MHK Play Studio owner, Kasey Wilkinson, stood at the front door, smiling and greeting people as they entered. Opening this studio was a dream, years in the making, that started with her first play space, ieDiscoveries, which opened in 2019, just before the pandemic. Through community relationships and a knack for resourcefulness, Kasey adapted the offerings of ieDiscoveries, navigating a number of challenges related to a business launch in a pandemic environment. From 2019 to 2022, they offered open-ended play opportunities, classes, camps, and team-building programs for businesses. As they neared their three-year anniversary in 2022, ieDiscoveries outgrew their space, and Kasey was ready for a new start and bigger opportunities.
As they open MHK Play Studio, which is several times the size of the ieDiscoveries space, Kasey reflected on what remains the same about their business brand and goals as they change their name and location. “The biggest thing that has stayed the same is the focus on play, play-based learning, and creativity. People of all ages need to play-we just need it in different ways,” said Kasey.
Children play with open-ended materials at the MHK Play Studio opening event.
Wanting to meet the demand of adult patrons without over-saturating the coffee shop market, the MHK Play Studio team is planning food and drink options with a unique vibe. “We wanted to still have coffee and things like that, but we also wanted to be able to do a modern twist on a soda shop, with mocktails, milkshakes, and eventually phase in boozy drinks for the parents.”
Another planned phase of growth will take the business outdoors, where they plan to create a therapy nature garden. “We don’t have an outdoor garden or playground in this community that meets the abilities of all ages and is safe for any ability,” said Kasey.
Kasey highlighted that one of the most important values of their space and the toys inside are that they are all “open-ended materials”, an item that can be fashioned into multiple uses based on the imagination of the person using it. She explained, “The company we source from is the US-based company that creates primarily open-ended materials. Like if you hand a five-year-old a block of wood, they might think it’s a telephone or a car, while if you give a ten-year-old, they might think, ‘Oh this will stabilize my structure,’ and a fifteen-year-old might think completely differently,” said Kasey. It is the use of these open-ended materials that makes them so versatile and attractive, meeting their goal of creating a space of play for every age. “One of the things we look at is how we can foster play and creativity across the ages and really embrace that.”
At the new location, the building is organized into unique play sections. Kasey explained, “The first section is called Play and Learn, where we offer educational opportunities with classes, events, and camps. We are getting re-licensed as a school-aged summer program. We have Shop and Curate, where there is a boutique with unique materials you won’t find in big box stores. We will be phasing in the Sip and Shake, where you can find the drinks, milkshakes and mocktails,” says Kasey. They also offer team-building programs for businesses and organizations. She explained, “The goal is to take adults and put them in a problem through play and get them to communicate and problem-solve differently.”
The community relationships Kasey built over the last three years running ieDiscoveries continue to come in handy as she expands into her new location. She credits People’s State Bank with their support as she transitioned to the new space. “Those who have mentored me and kept me sane through this is Peoples State Bank. Our bankers have been phenomenal at communicating, calling and last-minute signatures,” She laughed.
Kasey Wilkinson, owner and founder of MHK Play Studio
She also plans to collaborate with local vendors and women-owned businesses to showcase their food and products in her shop. “We have had conversations with The DoughBro, and their location is close, which makes it handy. In our boutique, from the retail side, we have gone with small, women owned businesses around the country who are working out of their home for extra income. We are trying to focus on this idea of small business and community.” She added, “We have also worked with the zoo, where we have some educational opportunities upcoming, and we are having conversations about bigger partnerships and collaboration.”
This fall, look for community events at the MHK Play Studio, showcasing the unique architecture of the space and creatively gathering people together for play, conversation and connection. Kasey explained, “We have events all this fall. One is called Coffee Chat and the other is Fireside Chat. Parents and children come, we will bring experts in, we are going to sit, drink coffee, have snacks, drinks, and let the children play. We are going to build community and relationships and knowledge.”
Visit Kasey and the MHK Play Studio team at their new location at 910 Commons Place in West Manhattan.
