Last day!

Wow! The last day or so has been really exciting! We are getting really close, even as we are running out of time. And we have had some lovely press. The Stir Crazy Moms of Durham wrote such a nice post about us, it was like a nice cup of tea and a hug to kick off the last 24 hours. Then we got another great surprise when Go Ask Mom on wral.com posted about us again to remind people how short our time is. Whatever happens, it has been so so nice to feel the support of our community for this plan. I really hope we get it and we can all have a big group hug and high five over at the cafe soon!

10 hours left! Let's see what the day brings!

The Kickstarter experience

Well we have 9 days to go with our kickstarter campaign! I thought I'd write a little bit about what it's been like to run a project on kickstarter and why we chose to do it this way. The why seems like a good place to start. Obviously reason number one is it takes money to open up a cafe-quite a bit, and more than we have. But we really think that this is a place Durham needs, and hope that enough people agree that they would be willing to buy in early. We have had so many people get excited about it and have had such a great time meeting other parents of young kids that that alone has made it a really valuable experience. But boy would it be great if we could hit our goal. And if we can, it will have been such a great thing that we met so many of you ahead of time and have got some excitement going in the community even before we open our doors for the first time.

What is it like to put ourselves out there and try to sell our concept? Exciting and not as scary as I expected, probably just because the idea seems to sell itself quite a bit. I love it, and people I talk to almost always love it too. So that makes it really pretty fun. And I've discovered I really enjoy meeting random folks with kids, because just by virtue of being parents we have a ton in common right off the bat. The part of running the campaign that does knot my tummy up a bit is checking for our actual pledges. When we started the campaign, I thought well we'll throw this out there and see what happens. If we can't do it, no big deal, at least we tried. But the funny thing that has happened is that as I've been convincing others how great Stay & Play will be, I, myself have become even MORE convinced of how great it would be and how much we need it. I am still ok with the fact that we may not get there, but I'm even more excited about the idea than I used to be based on all the positive feedback I've received. So the will we or won't we do it question has become one I'm very concerned with. Refreshing my email for the latest stats on the project has become a nervous tic. : )

So there's a little peek inside our experience. What do you all think about kickstarter?

Happy Fourth of July!

Did you see us at the Children's Parade at Durham Central Park this morning? It was a great time!

How do you like our deco job on our wagon? Wagon decorating is a seriously fun thing. We'll have to see if we can somehow incorporate or channel that into a craft class once we open, eh?

We got to chat with some folks who are excited about what we're doing and saw lots of friends and also just had a blast hanging out with so many of Durham's young families. Hope you enjoyed your holiday too!

Thanks Bien-Aime!

We just finished up two days of handing out our flyers and some free cups of iced coffee (goodness it was hot outside today!) at Bien-Aime Children's Consignment Boutique on Main St. Thanks so much to everyone who braved the heat and came out to see us! If you missed us there, be sure to look for us tomorrow when you're at the Durham Farmer's Market, or early next week at Southwest Regional and Main Library Branches.

Also be sure to visit Bien Aime when you are walking around downtown. Amy has some great kid's clothing in her store at great prices, and is really nice person and great supporter of local business! Thanks again Bien Aime!

Up and running at kickstarter!

Well, it's been a good first half day at kickstarter! We've already hit 7% of our funding, thanks to our super pioneer backers! You guys who have gotten us up and running over there are just awesome and I am so thankful for you! It's great to know that there are people who love this idea enough to actually put some proof behind it. There are a few pioneers who I've never met yet too, and that feels really cool. It's like we are instant friends because we are both into this thing!

If you are thinking about making a pledge, jump in and do it! The more momentum we can build at the beginning, the better and more convincing our case will be for people who aren't sure about us yet. (Remember this money doesn't actually draft for a month, and then it only drafts if the cafe is actually going to go!) It's going to take a lot of momentum to get us all the way to the goal, and every little push will help. Here is the link to the project. It's going to be an exciting ride! Jump on!

Flyers ready to fly!

Wooooo! The excitement is riding high over here this evening. I am just about to push go on our humble, no wait, AWESOME, kickstarter project. We are planning some cool events over the next few weeks to get out and tell people in person about why we need Stay & Play and what it will take to bring it here, namely pledges to our kickstarter campaign. So look for me around town and say hello! I would love to build you a boat or hat . . . That's right folks, if you are willing to talk to me for a minute, you will the chance to watch our little flyer transform itself before your very eyes into a boat or a hat. In some venues, we will be adding feathers or flags to our creations. But the important thing about this is to get us all excited about hanging out together and doing fun things with our kids. I'm looking forward to seeing you! By the way, if this boat/hat thing is just too exciting for you to wait on, here is a copy of the flyer (2 sides) for you to print out and make at home. I would just print the front if you can only do one side (like my home printer). See you soon! Hopefully wearing your Stay & Play hat!

Video, check.

Finally finished my video for the kickstarter! That felt like one of the biggest hurdles to getting up and running with our fundraising, so I'm glad to have it done! I think it came out pretty cute too, mostly just because of the toddler-speak. How can you not love that? Stay tuned for our launch and some promotional events to be announced shortly!