Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie van de Water & Elyse Locatelli . Them and their team share their story with us below:
Melanie van de Water and Elyse Locatelli are the co-founders of Interactive Play and share the same vision of creating child-friendly spaces in commercial places.
Combining their diverse backgrounds in childhood education, interior design, and hospitality, they understand the importance of play and the priceless experience of stress-free environments.
These two women are also mothers. In addition to the joy of parenting, they have also experienced the challenges of waiting, dining, and running errands, while trying to entertain and tend to their children’s needs. They are eager to create more family-friendly spaces not only in California but the entire United States.
Both women have dreamed of opening a child-friendly restaurant in San Diego where children could play and interact together, while the caregivers enjoy a meal and an adult conversation. When looking for products for a potential restaurant, Melanie found International Kids Concepts (IKC), a company based in The Netherlands that manufactures products like what she had envisioned. Realizing she could bring this concept to multiple sectors and locations and not just one restaurant, she introduced this idea to Elyse. Six months later, Melanie and Elyse co-founded Interactive Play and became the first US distributor for IKC.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
What we are finding to be the most challenging is bringing this new concept to the US market. Yes, you can find a couple toys in a doctor’s waiting room but we want to see child friendly spaces EVERYWHERE. Think restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, car dealerships, coffee shops, shoe stores, gyms, and the DMV. Although a popular and familiar concept in Europe and Asia, our culture differs and when presenting our idea to others, many times this concept is lost in translation. Yet, we continually commiserate with other caregivers when asking the questions like, why are there not more restaurants where children can play? Or shops where they are entertained? When you run errands and look around you are constantly seeing kids handed a phone to be pacified. What if instead everywhere you went you saw children playing together and engaging? This is our dream, we hope the US will join Europe in bringing child friendly spaces to commercial places.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Interactive Play can transform any space into a child-friendly environment. Say goodbye to scattered crayons and torn-up, soggy books! We are taking it up a notch, our products are made from durable high-quality materials, no loose pieces, and a visually appealing design. No matter your budget or the size of your space, there is something for every business.
We offer digital and non-digital products, many of which are wall-mounted, thus taking up minimal space. Children of all ages can enjoy the wooden wall games and digital screens. The digital software is language free making them inclusive to all children no matter what language they speak. The games encourage problem-solving, sharing, memorizing, and socializing.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
What makes us happy is exploring our local San Diego communities with our children & when possible, going abroad to experience new cultures.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.interactiveplayusa.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/interactiveplayusa/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/usainteractiveplay
