Stefanie Carducci, left, and Alora Paddon stand in front of their new business, Munchkinz Land, an indoor play cafe and shop in the ViaPort Mall in Rotterdam.
PETER R. BARBER Stefanie Carducci, left, and Alora Paddon stand in their new business Munchkinz Land indoor play cafe and shop in the ViaPort Mall in Rotterdam Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Stefanie Carducci, left, and Alora Paddon stand in front of their new business, Munchkinz Land, an indoor play cafe and shop in the ViaPort Mall in Rotterdam.
Two Rotterdam women plan to open a play cafe and shop in the Via Port mall this spring catering to young kids and parents alike.
Alora Paddon and Stefanie Carducci, who met three years ago while teaching at Kidz Korner in Guilderland, are in the process of opening Munchkinz Land, an indoor playground and cafe.
“Coming from a mom’s point of view of young little ones, we’re always looking to do something, and it’s either too cold outside or rainy... or it’s too hot in the summer, and it’s tough with little little ones that you want to incorporate them as well,” said Carducci. “So being able to have that space, it’s just nice to connect with other families.”
The sizable space, located near Zurich Cinemas in the mall, will feature an indoor play area with equipment for kids to focus on gross motor skills and pretend play.
“We really want to take into consideration all the different age groups, up to about 10 years old. So we’re going to create a little space for everybody in the community,” Carducci said.
They also plan to host story hours and celebrate Dr. Seuss Week in March in the future.
“We’ll be incorporating some of that stuff as well that you wouldn’t get at a regular indoor play cafe,” Carducci said.
For parents, there will be a room where people can breastfeed in a home-like setting.
“We’re going to be opening early so that parents with toddlers that nap are able to still play and we’re taking into consideration pricing. So we’re going to make it very affordable and fun,” Paddon said.
While they’re still working out the pricing and membership structure, the owners noted that admission will be around $15 per child. The tentative hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
PETER R. BARBER Stefanie Carducci, left, and Alora Paddon stand in their new business Munchkinz Land indoor play cafe and shop in the ViaPort Mall in Rotterdam Saturday, February 1, 2025.
Beyond the play area, the cafe will offer coffee and baked goods from Cheryl’s Creative Cookies in Schenectady and other local bakeries. Alongside the cafe will be a vendor area featuring goods from crafters and small businesses.
While Munchkinz Land will cater to families, Carducci noted customers can come in sans children as well.
“You can just walk in and come grab a coffee or grab a baked good from one of our bakeries that we’re going to be working with,” Carducci said.
Since they first announced their plans to open on Facebook a few weeks ago, Paddon noted, “We’ve really just been growing nonstop.”
“It just took off, from 600 followers, from a little stay-at-home, small business mom, to this giant idea of an indoor play area that we’ve grown,” Carducci said. As of Monday, the page had more than 1,700 followers.
Over the next two months, Paddon and Carducci will renovate the Via Port storefront, adding decor inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” and “Wicked.” They aim to open Munchkinz Land on April 5 and for the first month will offer themed baked goods.
