Some Play and All Work: 2020 and The Play Yard

Concept art of the Play Yard’s amazing play structure. (Image courtesy of The Play Yard)

“We have tried our best to open in 2020, however direct and indirect events have delayed our opening until 2021. We hope to have a more definitive timeframe for you all early in the New Year. Until then, have a great holiday season!”

This post is the most recent, and final, one on The Play Yard’s Facebook page, sitting right next to the “About Us” section, which reads “Pack your smiles Anchorage; the newest and coolest indoor playground is coming to town!” 

Despite the slightly melancholic tone of the first message, Bryan Maracle, Founder of The Play Yard, is eager to move into 2021, a year in which he is hoping to launch his venture, and bring smiling, happy families together. 

The Play Yard is more than a playground, it’s an experience for entire families. For parents, there will be a modern, hip coffee shop where, in the words of The Play Yard’s website, “parents can meet with their friends who don’t have kids and not feel weird.” 

The Play Yard is also being designed for the enjoyment of all children, including those with special needs. Let me show you a picture of the proposed play structure and give you a minute to understand why they would love Bryan’s idea.

Go on, I’ll give you a minute, to scroll back to the image at the top of the article.

Welcome back...simply wow!

This image should also show you why it has been difficult for Bryan and his team to officially launch their business. After all, it is not safe to bring large numbers of people together in close proximity during a pandemic. To his credit however, Bryan has been staying busy and is refining his idea to prepare for a successful launch.

“Since we are pre-revenue, one of our greatest opportunities from the past year has been our ability to refine our model,” said Bryan. “We had the opportunity to look at what our service offerings were and how we could become ‘pandemic proof’. How could we create revenue streams that could continue during a period when you would not have people walking in through the door?”

As Bryan assessed how to make The Play Yard even more efficient and effective, he noted that few of the major challenges that he has encountered so far are a direct result of the pandemic. 

“The challenges for me and The Play Yard do not have to do with the pandemic, per se,” said Bryan. “They are things that are inherent in Alaska and specifically in Anchorage, such as the cost of real estate and the permitting process with the city. All of these up-front costs just to get started are certainly challenging.”

Another challenge that The Play Yard has faced over the past year is identifying and receiving seed funding and capital.

“One of the greatest challenges that I have faced is being able to go and get funding and investment for the business,” said Bryan. “It has been an interesting road so far. People talk about entrepreneurship but when you go to financial institutions, they are resistant to investing in startups. People say that we need entrepreneurs and small businesses, but the capital that is required to actually launch these ventures can be difficult to access, even with all of the money that has come out of COVID.”

When asked what he had learned from 2020, Bryan was quick to highlight the need for The Play Yard to be an efficient and focused operation while maintaining the experiential quality that he hopes to provide.

“For us, it all boils down to revenue diversity,” said Bryan. “We need to have the ability to offer mobile ordering and detailed scheduling. Specifically the ‘slimness’ of the service offering means that we will be able to tailor the operation to achieve its focus while remaining streamlined as we weather the storm.”

Taking Bryan’s advice to view 2020 with hindsight, our conversation shifted over to 2021, and The Play Yard’s hopes for the coming year.

“Our goals...number one: open,” said Bryan with a laugh. “Two, we need to begin building a more robust network of entrepreneurs who are looking for an opportunity to share information and resources. For example, using a local designer or working with local teachers to lead programming. Finding investors who are willing to look at the model and financials and commit is also high on our list.”

As our conversation drew to a close, Bryan was quick to share his thoughts for new entrepreneurs, and circled back to the importance of securing financial support for one’s idea. 

“Don’t let your idea or your passion get in front of the need for capital,” said Bryan. “Develop your idea and make it solid but don’t get out in front of your capital. You also want to tap into entrepreneurial networks early, find out who is who and learn from the people in this ecosystem who you want to be like.”