ROOMBO: KIDS PLAY SPACE 2011-2015
I was a founder and co-director of Roombo, a family center and kids play space in San Miguel de Allende, inspired by my own toddler twins. Carly Cross and I really wanted to be able to take our kids to safe and comfortable playgrounds, enclosed areas where parents could relax, have a coffee and use the internet. There was nothing like this in our town, so we built our own.
Roombo offered playground time, courses, workshops, events and birthday parties. We fashioned the space entirely ourselves, building a streaming water feature, a tree house and slides. We had a padded foam-floor gym and a classroom upstairs for arts, crafts, book readings and more.
My main focus was branding and marketing, and ensuring the design and finishing of the space was compatible with our tone, look and feel. The colors needed to be energetic and appeal to a young audience as well as local parents and tourists. We also had to produce everything in two languages, English and Spanish. Meanwhile, my partner managed operations and curriculums. We both engaged in the running of our business daily, I was the lunch lady!
This rich entrepreneurial experience was also a holistic and ever-evolving design project. I gained valuable experience learning Spanish, building community and spending lots of time with my own children. We closed after 4 years.
This rich entrepreneurial experience was also a holistic and ever-evolving design project. I gained valuable experience learning Spanish, building community and spending lots of time with my own children. We closed after 4 years.
