private members' club for families

[pippiLS]

So do you think £10 per week for access to a stylish child-friendly club (with tasteful soft play areas etc) is a big ask?

DH thinks it's too much and no none would pay it whereas I think £520 for annual membership of a place where people with babies/toddlers go and meet other mums/dads/nannies, have a decent coffee (maybe even a tasty, healthy lunch), relax in comfort and attend classes with their little ones is an OK price to pay.

Am I being unreasonable to be considering opening such a place as a business venture?

Is this a joke? The most relaxing environment for me when DCs were small was wipe clean and distractingly day glo. I hate soft play and probably fit your demographic (though no career break here) but this has no appeal.

Only adults prefer wooden toys.

I pay £56 per month for twin membership to Gymboree, in SW London, which includes 1 class a week, and as many open/free sessions as I want. For £10 a week I would expect a class to be included.

Why not buy a franchise as a way in, learn the ropes etc, then if you make a success of it you can strike out on your own?

gymboree-uk.com/gymboree-working-with-children-franchise/

10+ years ago, toddler groups 'lovingly crafted' by nice volunteer church ladies and fellow parents, in my naice area cost 1 a session. Coffee (possibly not terribly good coffee, but hey ho) and malted milk biscuits with diluted apple juice or water for the children included.

Many of the toys were ancient but they were clean and the children seemed to like them.

Then there were cafs and restaurants for lunch if you felt flush, the sports centre if you fancied waving your baby around in a pool singing songs, parks for a bit of fresh air.

What's changed?

It does sound like a fantasy. There is a reason kids' venues are the way they are. And most parents (and all kids) couldn't give a stuff about a slightly municipal look/feel as long as the service is good - ironically it's service you're looking to skimp on with minimal staffing. Specially re the shop, there's a lovely wooden toy type shop near here and it really struggles for stock and customers. Suppliers of beautiful stuff can be v choosy about which outlets they'll align themselves with, and it's not the kind of stuff that sells in bulk by definition. With only 100 families as customers, how many will want that pricey ride-on ladybird?

I really don't get what the Usp would be, I'm sorry - nice cushions and curtains? The dry cleaning bills are going to be steep.

I might pop into such a place from time to time if the coffee was good but there's now way is go every day and I think I'd be your target market. I certainly wouldn't pay £10 a week to join fir one tangible benefit. I have nt and zsl membership both of which were considerably cheaper than what you're proposing and one of which means dd and I get to see tigers!

Your costings above don't include any salaries either. I just don't think it's viable, sorry

Ooh, the Gymboree franchise is an idea, if the entry price to buy a franchise isn't too much. At least find out about it - you might be able to work in one of their other outlets for a few days which would give you more experience.

Or...could you look into buying a holiday home to let, either in France or somewhere nearer to you? Then you could create the ambience you love without any toddlers spoiling it

I think you want to run a spa...

When mine were small one of my favourite places was a family centre( pre sure start). Yes it was municipal however the children had a great time and we had a twenty minute snack time for coffee.
It was 30p per child per session and I used it at least 3 days a week. I met up with friends and we all had a nice time.
I also took advantage of the free course that they offered-first aid, creative writing, photography, word proccessing, a huge number of parenting classes run by a charity. There was also a pata course as I ran a baby and toddler group.
They provided a creche and saved my sanity. I would expect more than that from a business running classes especially as I would be paying for it.
As for naice wooden toys, have you factore in the cost of buying new regularly because in my experience, toddlers have a bad habit of dropping food, drink and bodily fluids over everything and wooden toys dont look as nice when they have been cleaned.

pinkdelight, I'm not looking to skimp on the staffing, it's just that there wouldn't be enough money to pay for more staff.

I posted in AIBU because I wanted the truth, even if it stung, and it does. Thanks again for the feedback, it's been an interesting thought experiment that has got me really excited but I have to admit to feeling a little deflated now.

A spa is a better idea than a holiday home.

Cupcake Mum had spa bits. And I think
There's somewhere in Redhill with spa bits. Have forgotten the name. Heaven? Nutmeg?

Aw, hugs pipi

Better realistic than out of pocket though!

Heh. 60% mark up on food is without taking into account the people cooking & serving it, crockery, cutlery, the fuel, the cleaning materials...

Ex-publican here. why do you think so many cafes, restaurants & pubs fail? It's really, really not easy to make money in catering. As the old adage says, the best way to make a small fortune in the restaurant business is to start with a large one.

In the kindest possible way, OP, you are completely out of your depth. At the very least, you need some work experience in both softplay & in catering to anchor your thinking somewhat!

I'm also in your key demographic - professional, kids in my 30s. I wasn't massively keen on sitting around in lovely surroundings drinking coffee, if that would've required me to hoof myself off my sofa - my house already contained coffee, naice wooden toys & many dvds.

when I went out to softplay etc, my requirements were simply that the kids would be happy & safe playing whilst I read a book in peace! we have a lovely place offering this a mile up the road, for a couple of quid per child. I'd go there after lunch for an hour or so, & we'd stroll back via the park.

I think we used it once a week or so, & even at that it got boring for both me & the dc.

I'm sorry you're deflated. But the costs of setting it up would be immense too so hopefully you've saved yourself from that.

This is it:

www.heaven-nutfield.com

TheDoctrine, you're very sweet . I do like the look of Gymboree and there isn't one anywhere near here and anyway i think the focus is too kiddie-centric. I would like a play space like their set-up for my naice club.

I did joke with DH that maybe I should get in to property development.

Think you should definitely check out how fab many Sure Start Centres are. Many seriously wealthy parents use them (and its wonderful that you have no idea of people's income until after you have struck up a friendship and visited them at home) and would baulk at paying for something run by less qualified staff without a clear vision.

I meant skimp on staff as in that was the area where you couldn't afford to give anything extra. Your plan was v minimal staff - one cleaner etc - which is skimping to me.

How can Gymboree be too kiddie-centric?? What else should it be centric about?

Anyway, sounds like you've got the drift, and maybe the property/design side is more your thing. Still a potential moneypit though so do your research on that too! Good luck.

Op I don't want to be another person picking but It does seem a little bit pie in the sky.

Your DH Doesn't think its a good idea he also lives in your town and knows the demographic you are aiming for.

There are over 200 posts on here the vast majority stating that they don't think this is a service they would use the majority of these I suspect are the demographic you are aiming for (ie nannys/ working mums/ professional working women/ sahms)

You state you think running a business is not rocket science but you haven't so much a set foot in your local competitor play center ie the surestart center or visited an exclusive play centre like the one you are planning to open. Looking at pictures online isn't really enough you need to get a 'feel' for the place in person. Take a look at the set up, what works, what doesn't problems with the layout etc.

Also you seem to want to appeal to exclusive members and people who can't afford to access your service at the same time.

I don't think families paying full membership would be happy if people were accessing the centre free of charge with their children for cv and work skills.

Families who will can afford membership and classes are not the types of people who are going to need help learning how to put together a cv.

I can't see many people being happy to pay an additional £10 per class/child for a 'session' being taught by someone who is either volunteering or working to gain 'getting back to work skills' on minimal training.

The types of people you want to attract will expect a receptionist, a waitress in the cafe, a cook a cleaner etc.

How are you going to cater for allergies / special diets etc as I imagine the usual food offerings at play centres wouldn't 'cut it' at an exclusive play centre

Have you even looked into licencing for a cinema room, or health and safety / food hygiene for cookery classes and cafe/ first aiders etc.

What can you offer that local people can't get elsewhere.

TBH You've not stated you're doing anything that would make me want to part with my hard earned money, you've offered nothing new or exciting I can't get elsewhere.

I think if you want to go ahead with this idea you've got a lot of research ahead of you.

x post with you op. If you really like the idea visit your competition look for a gap in the market, services you can offer than no one else can, research business models etc then go for it if this is what You want.

Just don't rush Into it

Thanks themockingjay.

OP your latest reply indicates you haven't understood why someone suggested the Gymboree franchise - there isn't one in your area, you say, so perfect chance for you to get there first to be your local area's franchisee! Get a ton of experience in the field, learn loads with great business support/model, many years down the line open your haven.

This isn't a million miles from me. I dread to think how much membership costs though!

I'm sorry you are feeling a bit bruised OP but look at it this way, MN has given you free direct access to your target market without shelling out thousands in market research.

Winners are those with a Plan B. I'm sure you'll find yours.

Juniper, I'm checking out Gymboree online right now.

Our local Children's Centre is beautiful, newly filled with the sort of wooden toys so beloved of the OP. It was converted from an existing building, but the interior is entirely new.

It cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to open and the running costs are huge as well. It offers a range of classes as well as a cafe etc.

And it is all free at the point of delivery.

OP you need to visit all the available provision in your area and put your snobbery to one side.
You need to look at how much the lovely toys, beautiful furniture, nice crockery etc. etc. are going to cost.
You need to work out how often all these things are going to need replacing, because if I am paying from a premier product, I will expect the environment and toys to pristine. What sort of annual budget will this take?
You need to find out what parents in your area find inspiring and adjust your plans if they aren't all looking for a French Villa experience.
You need to think how you will cater for the different needs of newborns, toddlers and pre-schoolers.
You need to think about ways of getting your space to work for as many hours in the day as possible. Will you cater for older children after school, encouraging families with children of various ages to keep paying their membership for as many years as possible?

You have shedloads of work to do to even begin formulating your business plan.