Play time

     By Damon Hodge
     View staff writer
      Open it and they will play.
      It is Stay-N-Play, and they are fun-loving toddlers seeking respite from the doldrums.
      Lori Irving envisions a steady stream of tykes bounding throughout the 3,600-square-foot facility that opened May 30 at 3400 S. Jones Blvd., inside the Mountain View Commercial Center. It caters to children up to age 6.
      All-day use of the 2,400-square-foot play area which features slides, toys, games and books, is $8.
      "I know parents will love it once they learn about us," said Irving, a former nanny in New York now living in the Northwest. "There was no place like it in the Northwest, outside of Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza, which cater to older children."
      Irving said the location is perfect, as other businesses in the center include dance and karate studios, an in-line skating and hockey rink and a Christian Church.
      "There's a great family feel here," she said.
      Irving and partner Aida Martinez talked to "soccer moms, parents whose children take dance lessons, friends and neighbors" about creating a place "where parents could watch their children play in a safe, supervised environment."
      Stay-N-Play is not a day-care facility and children must be accompanied by adults.
      "We found that they (parents) wanted a place their toddlers could play while their older children were occupied," Irving said. "The play palaces at McDonald's got old."
      It cost Irving and Martinez approximately $20,000 to refurbish the parcel. The duo teamed with attorney Crystal Eller-Quam on finalizing paperwork, negotiating the lease and buying toys.
      "I wanted to make sure they succeeded because I wanted my children to have a place to play," Eller-Quam said. "When I moved here six years ago, I didn't have kids. Then I had kids, but I had no place to take them, especially during the summer. It was too hot and the playgrounds didn't have toddler-friendly equipment," Eller-Quam said.
      Her children, 6-year-old Courtney and 4-year-old Bobby, were the day's first visitors June 6. Courtney baby-sat a doll and Bobby played in the Safe Zone, a gated, toddler-only play area.
      Four-year-old Therynn Tran favored the Play Hospital, complete with child-sized doctor and nurse garb, medical bed and toy X-ray and blood pressure equipment. He also was fond of the arts and crafts center with its large chalkboard, paints, glue and Play-Doh.
      His mother, Karrie Tran, likes being able to watch her son play and simultaneously decompress.
      "Moms need down time, too," said Tran, former vice president of Mommy & Me West, a social organization for moms with children up to age 5. She said about 25 members of the 550-member group have taken their children to Stay-N-Play.
      The children have multiple play options. They can race mini-cars around mini-tracks in the car & truck center, tackle Climb & Slide -- a replica treehouse with ladder, climbing rope and slide -- or frolic in the Super Sand Box, the most popular station.
      Also popular is the Dress Up Center with its sequined skirts and gowns, an astronaut suit and an assortment of hats, including those representing a baseball player, construction worker and firefighter. Bobby Quam tried on the Army helmet, then shot over to the Play Beauty Salon -- two dressers with mirrors and two benches -- where his sister was primping herself.
      The middle of the room holds a teeter-totter, hopscotch game, two tool-adorned workbenches and mini-house with a kitchen with dinette set, china cabinet, kitchenette and sink-microwave-refrigerator console. Nearby is the Home Center, with a mock baby-changing station, a ball-filled Jump-o-lene, rocking horse, two tot basketball hoops and a large bouncing ball.
      The reading area contains books, puzzles and other games. There's also a snack area.
      In addition to the main play area, there's a a 1,000-square-foot room suitable for semi-private and private parties. The room can be split in half for semi-private and private parties for up to 20 children.
      The base party fee, $159 for 20 children and $5 for each additional child, includes use of the room for an hour, invitations, decorations, paper plates, napkins, cups and utensils and unlimited use of the play area. The $259 package, at $6 each additional child, features cake, ice cream, milk or juice, party hats and party favors and a gift for the birthday child.
      For $359, and $7 each additional child, children get pizza or a party sub sandwich, theme decorations and use of the room for two hours. There is a $50 non-refundable deposit, with the balance due two weeks prior to the party.
      As a safety precaution, children wash their hands with anti-bacterial soap before playing. Parents and children also receive matching hand stamps similar to the black-light security policy used at Chuck E. Cheese.
      "That way, no parent leaves with someone else's child," Irving said.
      Irving said another Stay-N-Play is in the works, with future facilities slated for the Northwest and Summerlin.
      Stay-N-Play is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with Sundays and evenings reserved for private parties. Those interested can call 307-8174.