“Parent-focused, child-friendly” cafe now open in Londonderry
A new cafe in Londonderry has been specially designed to cater to families with young children, with a variety of built-in amenities like a Montessori-style play area, a “treehouse” reading nook, a chalk wall, changing tables and a bottle-warming station, all in addition to a menu of coffees, teas, smoothies, baked goods, kid-friendly snack dispensers, bento boxes and more.
It’s called The Nest, and its grand opening arrived on June 6 after more than a year of planning. Owners Jamie and Ryan Getchell are themselves the parents of three kids, ages 6, 5 and 22 months old — Jamie Getchell said the idea for the business came to the Londonderry couple following their own experiences visiting cafes and coffee shops with their kids in tow.
“We’d take our firstborn daughter and there would be no changing table, or she’d start crying and people would give us these looks like we were interrupting them if they were working, and we’d feel bad,” she said. “So we stopped doing that … but then it just felt like the only place to take the kids would be Chuck E. Cheese, or a trampoline park, or some other place with loud music and flashing lights. … It felt like there was just something missing for parents.”
The couple soon started developing a business plan and conducting research, visiting as many area cafes and coffee shops as they could along the way to figure out how to best make theirs accommodating to children. Unlike at some “play cafes” in other parts of the country that charge visitors to use the amenities by the hour or the child, Jamie Getchell said those at The Nest are free to use. There’s also a “blessing corner” of the cafe that features shelves of free donated diapers, wipes, baby formula and other items for any families in need of them.
“We wanted to flip the model a bit and say that we’re parent-focused [and] child-friendly,” Ryan Getchell said. “Our goal was to design a space that gives mom 45 minutes to an hour to sip a great cup of coffee and talk with other moms while the kids can play. … We’ve had friends come in with their kids and they already beeline it right to the small chairs and the play area.”
The roughly 1,500-square-foot space includes traditional cafe seating that’s adjacent to the gated play area, designed to look like a bird’s nest. On the other side of that is a lofted reading nook, along with custom-built table seating for kids and a chalk wall mounted near the floor. Around the corner at The Nest’s rear is where you’ll find the cafe’s private family area, which has a changing table, a complimentary bottle warmer and a breastfeeding chair.
But the drinks and food served at The Nest are by no means afterthoughts — the Getchells have worked closely with their neighbor, who happens to be a regional sales manager for Peet’s Coffee. They’re now members of the company’s Proudly Pouring program, which Ryan Getchell said allows them to create their own drink menu of any of Peet’s Coffee’s products. Their lineup of drinks includes a variety of hot and iced coffees, in addition to cold brew and a full line of espresso drinks. Through Peet’s Coffee’s sister company, Mighty Leaf Tea, there are also multiple flavors of iced tea shakers, which are made with real fruit pieces and purees.
Other drink options include smoothies, of which there are five flavors out of the gate to start.
“Friends and other moms have been saying to us that if their kids are going to come, they are going to want smoothies,” Jamie Getchell said. “So we were creating all of these smoothies and we kind of gathered what we liked and didn’t like about various recipes we found.”
She added that, while the couple’s original plan had been to serve paninis, feedback on social media and in focus groups regarding potential allergy concerns ultimately led them to pivot to offering “nest boxes,” or bento boxes filled with a variety of ingredients for kids or adults. Each specialty nest box contains its own collection of pre-selected items, or you can build your own.
“Whether it’s yogurt, apple slices, turkey and cheese rollups, or tuna fish or chicken salad … it’s a perfectly portioned healthy box for a kid, or mom or dad can get one too,” she said.
The Nest is also partnering with Klemm’s Bakery of Windham to source various pastries and baked goods like doughnuts, muffins and cookies. A snack dispenser features several kid-friendly snacks and cereals, and a retail area of the shop has parents and kids covered for a variety of essential items, from diapers, wipes and spare onesies to coloring and sticker books.
In lieu of entertainment you might find at a traditional cafe like live music or poetry readings, Jamie Getchell said The Nest is partnering with several local organizations, like the Leach Library in Londonderry to hold readings, and Party Palace for costumed character appearances.
The Nest Family Cafe
Where: 25 Orchard View Drive, Unit 1, Londonderry
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
More info: Visit thenestfamilycafe.com, or find them on Facebook and Instagram @thenestfamilycafe
Featured photo: Photos courtesy of The Nest Family Cafe.
