In this episode of the Profitable Play Podcast, I sit down with Erin and Justin, the owners of Hangtime Play Café in Arlington, Washington—an indoor playground and play café that scaled to over 250 members just two months after opening.

We break down how they pre-sold over 100 memberships before they even opened, the exact strategies they used to build demand early, and how they created strong recurring revenue from day one.

We also dive into how they designed a smaller 2,500 sq ft space to feel bigger, more premium, and highly functional—maximizing every square foot to support open play, memberships, and birthday parties without sacrificing the customer experience.

Plus, we discuss what’s actually driving revenue in their play café business, including how their café is contributing a significant portion of total sales, how they’re balancing memberships, open play, and private parties, and what they’ve learned about capacity, pricing, and operations in their first few months.

We also cover a major build-out challenge—a delayed play structure shipment—and how they used that time to build hype, collect leads, and strengthen their brand before fully opening.

If you’re starting or growing an indoor playground, play café, or kids’ activity center, this episode is packed with real-world insights on membership growth, play café design, revenue streams, and what it actually takes to launch and scale successfully. 

WATCH on YouTube: https://youtu.be/2acgncX70Rk

BLOG for this episode: https://www.michelecaruana.com/blog/founding-members-play-cafe

Hangtime Play Cafe IG: https://www.instagram.com/hangtimeplaycafe/

Hangtime Play Cafe Website: https://www.hangtimeplaycafe.com/

Hangtime Play Cafe TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hangtime_playcafe

OTHER RESOURCES:

Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society

Getting Started With Your Play Cafe [YouTube Video Playlist]

What's Working In The Indoor Play Industry 2025 Guide

Fund Your Indoor Play Business [Free Training]

Indoor Play Courses & 1:1 Consulting Waitlist

Michele’s Instagram

Michele’s Website

Play Cafe Academy YouTube Channel

ETSY Template Shop

Prepare Your Indoor Playground For a Recession

Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society

Questions and Support: [email protected] 

TOOLS & OTHER LINKS:

Play Cafe Academy & Play Makers Society: http://bit.ly/3HES7fD

Questions and Support: [email protected] 

TOOLS:

Play Space Brain (Mention This Podcast For Special Pricing!)

Simplify and Scale with 50% OFF WellnessLiving

Active Campaign Free Trial

Free Demo of Aluvii All-In-One POS