Blue Springs kids play space, venue encourages creativity and connection
'My mom was like, 'Who do you expect? How many people?' I was like, 'I don't know, maybe twenty? One hundred and twenty would be great,'' Samantha Shores shared about what she expected for The Paperback Playhouse's grand opening Sunday.
'Two hundred and thirty showed up in a span of four hours on Sunday.'
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The Paperback Playhouse sits in a shopping center on Southwest Highway 40 in Blue Springs.
'The Paperback Playhouse is an educational play space and party venue focused on studio art, literacy, sensory exploration and dramatic play,' its social media page reads.
'This is something that people want and need in Blue Springs,' its owner, Samantha Shores, said.
Shores shared with FOX4 what the first few days have been like since its opening.
'Yesterday morning, I had seven moms (and) seven kids in here and the entire session, the moms were mingling,' she said.
'I had a mom yesterday that spent an hour of the session sitting at the table coloring because she needed that rest and recharge.'
It's not only a place for kids and young children, but also for parents and caregivers.
'I wanted somewhere that I could just sit and see them (her kids) at all times and feel like I'm safe and they are safe,' Shores shared on what she wanted and from a place she needed.
Shores says, its design, with different play stations in mind, is as much for her two kids to enjoy as it is for herself too.
'After I had my youngest daughter, I had really bad postpartum depression, and a sense of community is something I desperately craved. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and I needed to get out of the house. Combination of therapy, medication, and just great friends literally saved my life,' Shores shared.
'I had to have a place that I could go that I could that wasn't overstimulating, that I could meet people.'
She's hopeful it's a place for others in similar seasons of life to connect and create, too.The Paperback Playhouse is geared towards children eight years old and younger, with a targeted audience of ages one through six.
'I saw the 11-month-old check in. My kids are three and four. They are having just as much fun,' friend, and visitor of the space, Thomas Sims said Wednesday, on the variety of ages enjoying the play spaces.
'This one's cool and has a lot of different activities for kids to do.'
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Shores says there are plenty of outdoor and recreational spaces for families in Blue Springs. Hers, though, is uniquely indoors.'A lot of places don't have the open arts and crafts, but I have a two-and-a-half-year-old and an almost five-year-old and I really wanted to meet the needs of both age groups,' she said.
'Blue Springs has great resources for physical enrichment (and) physical activity. This is more imaginative play, dramatic play, creative arts.'Parents at the space agree, it's a different place in the area.
'I have a three and a five-year-old and they have very different interests,' Megan Skinner, a mom, visiting the space Wednesday, said.
'We got one doing arts and crafts and the other one over there doing some dramatic play.'
Shores hopes she, parents and caregivers who visit, along with children, make new friends while visiting too.After every play session, areas and surfaces are wiped down, and there's a deep clean at the end of the day.
There's a Mother's Room, along with a quiet room, a retail shop and more.
The Paperback Playhouse is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Sessions are two hours long and are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday sessions are from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Party rentals are slated for Sundays.
You can see the pricing and additional information here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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