Play Street Museum, a space for children’s events and parties, will be opening its doors on Saturday at 805 Columbus Ave.
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The UWS location – owned and operated by local parents James and Kristina Payne – is situated just south of W. 100th St. near HomeGoods, and is Play Street Museum’s first in the northeastern U.S.
“Our neighborhood children’s museum on the Upper West Side transports your young ones to The Town Square where they can explore interactive exhibits based around life in the city,” states the location’s website.
The business bills itself as “an interactive children’s museum and indoor play area purposefully designed to encourage a young child’s sense of independence, exploration, and creativity.” The spaces are geared towards play dates, parties and other special events for children 8 and under.
“We wanted each Play Street Museum location to be a part of the local community and not have a corporate feel,” co-founder Courtney Muccio writes on Play Street Museum’s website. “We wanted each PSM location to be loved and invested in.”
Muccio, who spent most of her career in early childhood education, founded Play Street Museum with her husband, Mike, in 2014. They opened the first location in Frisco, TX and quickly expanded throughout Texas. Despite ultimately closing the Frisco location in late 2020 due to pandemic-related challenges, the Muccios have grown Play Street Museum to more than 20 locations – most of which are franchises across Texas, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and a few other southern and midwestern states. The brand also has a location in Kuwait.
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Additional activities offered at Play Street include pottery, canvas painting, dip dye and a science-based slime lab. Party packages are available at existing locations for up to 20 children – or what the brand calls “deliberate and manageable scale,” which “reinforces independence in the child” – though additional attendees can be accommodated for a cost-per-head.
Here’s a video about the business:
