Encouraging Creative Playtime at Let’s Play BA

Table of Contents:

Love for Children Opens Up Doors
A Creative Play Concept Arises
Indoor Fun Where Imaginations Can Blossom
Starting a Business from Scratch Takes Dedication
Finding Footing Through Local Financing
Future Growth Is in the Works

Madison King is the founder of Let’s Play BA LLC, an indoor event center and “mini main street” where children can engage in sensory pretend play. The chance to launch her business and enjoy a fulfilling career that leaves her room to be a mom has been a learning curve, one that has been made easier by working with the caring team at TEDC Creative Capital.

Love for Children Opens Up Doors

Working with children is often considered an admirable career, but Madison King would likely tell you it’s also fun and fulfilling. As owner of Let’s Play BA, an indoor event center and play area for children of all ages, Madison is filling a need in the marketplace for safe places to play.

Madison’s desire to provide an encouraging, fun, educational place for children to play began right after high school when she entered the workforce as a nanny, a career she enjoyed. “I’ve always loved finding fun ways for kids to learn and grow their imagination,” she explains. 

While nannying was a pleasure for her, it also required a unique commitment that was challenging once she had children of her own. So, when she became a mother, Madison began exploring opportunities that would allow her to continue working with children beyond nannying.

“I knew I was always meant to work with children,” she says. “But I wasn’t interested in going back to school for a teaching degree. So, I started brainstorming.” 

A Creative Play Concept Arises

Madison investigated daycares and similar activities as she considered how to incorporate her love for kids with a job she didn’t necessarily have to have a degree for. When it became clear that route wouldn’t be the best fit, she thought about other options—and her own goals.

“I wanted a place for parents to meet others, kids to meet friends, and overall a place for kids to grow their imagination!” she says. In addition, she desired to host unique events, creating fun experiences for kids and their parents. 

“I wanted to create a place of commUNITY in Broken Arrow, not just another play place where you occasionally go, but a place where you leave feeling like you made memories.  There were such places for adults, but not necessarily as many for families. Broken Arrow needed that type of communal gathering place, she thought. And the concept for Let’s Play BA was born.

Indoor Fun Where Imaginations Can Blossom

Let’s Play BA is a spacious indoor playground that features eight pretend play settings—including a cafe, construction zone, auto shop, pet store, dentist office, baby zone, giant indoor sandbox and RV, all designed to enhance children’s imaginative play. It’s a place where parents and children can get to know each other and build friendships that could potentially last a lifetime.

Through events and activities held throughout the year, Let’s Play BA creates unique interactive fun. The indoor “mini main street” hosts character days where children can interact with their favorite characters. A traveling barnyard comes through once a month to offer educational activities with animals. Madison will also be introducing a “paint and play” type of event where children can participate in guided painting followed by playtime.

The end goal is to offer a variety of indoor events in a safe, entertaining environment that fosters growth, creativity, and relationship building.

Starting a Business from Scratch Takes Dedication

​​The indoor playground officially opened at the beginning of August this year, but it was a year and a half in the planning stages first. Like most business owners with an idea and a passion, Madison established her LLC and set about learning how to take the next steps. 

She worked on developing her business plan and studying websites and YouTube for examples she could follow. She used internet research to learn more about the type of business she wanted to launch, studying real-life examples and gaining knowledge wherever she could.

Madison enlisted help from family and friends to bring the play areas to life. She designed the concepts for the different play areas in her business with the help of her mom, Christi Gillespie (part owner of Let’s Play BA). Then her stepdad, Michael Gillespie, built the different pretend-building facades to mimic the look of real-life miniature areas of main street that kids could play in. A talented craftsman, he alone built all of mini Main Street, the play pizza oven, café, construction zone, and RV for children to explore and imagine in. “Without Michael, none of this would’ve been possible. I am extremely thankful for all he has done and continues to do for me.” Madison says. 

 A local dentist, Dr. Endicott, donated a dental chair so Madison could create a spot where children could play in a pretend environment and get used to the idea of dental visits. Madison has sought out features like real Route 66 memorabilia to further bring the playground to vivid life. The space also includes a giant sandbox, a baby zone, and a party room where families can host family-friendly gatherings.

Finding Footing Through Local Financing

Starting a business takes drive and creativity—it also requires funding. And for that, Madison turned to the friendly team at TEDC Creative Capital. Madison learned about TEDC through connections she made at the Broken Arrow Economic Development Corporation. She started speaking with the TEDC team, learned what she needed to provide, and got to work gathering the paperwork.

“I think with anything, it’s important to really connect with one another,” Madison says. “I’ve noticed since opening Let’s Play BA that my members love it when we truly get to know them.   Remembering names and little details about your customers will help your business stand out! I think TEDC did a great job of making a personal connection with me and my business throughout this journey.”

Madison was able to purchase her business sign, make the down payment on a lease, and build out the building with great play areas and toys where children can feel right at home during their creative playtime.

Through it all, TEDC made the process simple. “They helped me with everything I needed help with and answered all my questions,” says Madison. “Getting a loan isn’t necessarily an easy process, but TEDC made things simple and quick for me.”

Future Growth Is in the Works

Through word of mouth and social media, Let’s Play BA is spreading the news about what they offer to children and parents, and the indoor mini main street is growing. Madison’s main goal is to pursue more regular memberships among families using the playground/event center. 

Let’s Play BA offers monthly membership packages for those who visit more than twice a month,” Madison says. “I’m really focusing on growing our members; the more members we get, the more we are able to do for our small business!” Part of the ongoing vision is to provide fun and educational programming during the Broken Arrow Public Schools’ Virtual Friday & other school breaks.

For future entrepreneurs like her, Madison says, “Believe in yourself and know you are capable of making your dreams turn into a reality. Pray, trust, and always follow God. He is the one I really have to thank; nowhere in life would I be without my savior.”

TEDC Creative Capital is a local, trusted, community-focused economic development organization that provides entrepreneurs with essential business-building training and accessible funding options to build their businesses successfully. Reach out to learn more and see how TEDC can help you reach your entrepreneurial goals.