Kangamoo Indoor Playground
• Address: 1525 E. Sunset Road, Suite 7, Las Vegas
• Phone: 702-534-1960
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: kangamooplay.com
• Hours of operation: 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; times vary on weekends based on private parties
• Owned/operated by: Shawn and Mimi Wachter
• In business since: Feb. 20
Describe your business.
Kangamoo Indoor Playground is an adult-supervised children’s play center that is as fun for parents as it for kids. Children ages 1 through 10 can enjoy active and creative play — slides, tunnels, swings, a zip line, climbing areas and art stations — while their parents can indulge in massage chairs, do-it-yourself beauty stations, an indoor track, an elliptical machine and free Wi-Fi with charging stations. An on-site café offers healthy snack and beverage options, along with complimentary water, tea and coffee.
What is your business philosophy?
We focus on helping children grow physically, emotionally and mentally through interactive play with their parents, peers and the facility itself. With the amenities we offer for adults, our goal is to make Kangamoo as satisfying an experience for parents as it is for their children.
What inspired you to develop a play center?
As parents of a 4-year-old daughter, we know how difficult parenting can be. Parents get so few breaks day to day — we’re constantly on the go — and we saw an opportunity to give parents a chance to put up their feet, get in a workout, have a massage, get some work done, whatever they need, while their kids play. With our architecture and design backgrounds, we felt we could create a space like this that not only was functional but aesthetically pleasing. So despite the chaos of kids running, jumping and having fun, there’s still a calmness about Kangamoo.
What is it like doing business with your spouse?
We’ve worked together for a long time. We actually met while working together for one of the world’s largest design firms and have been a team in some local real estate investments, so this really was a no-brainer for us. We’re a great team and know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. That closeness certainly helped us through the normal challenges creating a business like this can bring. It’s a huge source of pride for both of us to have come together to create Kangamoo for our daughter, MaiLee, and other families in our community.
Why did you include a café?
We made this decision more as parents than as business owners. We want our daughter to eat healthy and know that so many other parents want that for their kids as well. We don’t offer cookies, candy, chips or soda, so there’s no temptation for children or their parents. Fresh fruits, vegetables and dips, yogurt and cheese are the kinds of snacks we offer, and we think that modeling healthy eating as a complement to the great physical and mental workout kids get at Kangamoo is the right choice.
What obstacles has your business overcome?
We were in uncharted waters as far as sourcing the materials for our design, getting formal approvals during our building process and so forth. We took it all in stride and knew we’d get our doors open eventually. It took a little longer than we planned for, but being a parent definitely helps prepare you for the unexpected.
How can Nevada improve its business climate?
Nevada is a great place to do business. We moved here from Southern California and absolutely love it. We had a lot of support through the process of opening Kangamoo and are grateful for this community accepting us so readily.