Meet Lisa, the mom and brains behind Chickadee Family Cafe in Burlington, Ontario. When you meet Lisa and have her show you around the cafe you can hear the passion in her voice and pride she has for her cafe. Chickadee Family Cafe is a play cafe where parents, grandparents, or really anyone can pop by with their kids to get some work done, have some quiet time and/or enjoy each other's company. Whether you are looking to have a good cup of coffee, a delicious snack, play some board games or get some work done you can accomplish it all at Chickadee Family Cafe.
Do you have kids? If so how many & age?
I have one 4-year old son who was my inspiration to start this business.
What's one thing people probably don't know about you? I speak Spanish. I traveled to Nicaragua when I was 19 to visit coffee farms and learn about Fair Trade Coffee. Yes, my love of this beverage runs deep! After that trip, I decided I wanted to learn the language, so I went back to Nicaragua for a month by myself to study in an emersive school and home stay program. It was intense but very worth it. Every year after that throughout university, I did a homestay in a Latin American country. I’ve been to Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico.
Are you a stay at home mom? No. I’ve never been a sahm. I was a freelance writer when my son was born and continued working when he was born. I never had mat leave. Then I worked as a marketing communications professional for a couple of years before deciding to open Chickadee Family Café.
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself? My favourite thing is to make myself a cup of coffee and curl up with a good book, or a good tv drama. My favourite right now is This Is Us.
What is your favourite date night activity? Hmm, it’s been a long time since we’ve had an actual date night. But we spent a lot of time building things for the business and I have to say we do have fun when we work together on a construction project – whether it’s building ikea furniture, or a chalkboard!
What's one thing you couldn't live without? Other than my family and my son I’d say sunshine. The dull days in winter really get me down. I love seeing the sun shine through the windows.
Who's your IG inspiration? Oh there are too many. I don’t think I can pick one.
What advice would you give your younger self: When I was younger I was so serious. I was very committed to my studies and I worried so much if I hadn’t memorized this quote or that quote. I studied political science. Am I a politician now? No. I would tell my younger self to really think about what makes me happy and figure out how to incorporate that into my career. Also I’d tell myself that it’s ok to think outside the box. Not everyone will understand it at first, but it’s the most out of the box ideas that have ended up being mainstream now. When Starbucks first opened in the US, it was a coffee roaster. It took Howard Schwartz years to convince the owners to be able to open a tiny little section to serve espresso drinks because no one believed Americans would want to drink it. Well now look at Starbucks and the entire North American coffee industry.
Where is business located out of? 2178 Mountain Grove Avenue – at Guelph Line and Upper Middle.
How did you choose the name for your business? I’ve always loved these little birds called chickadees, but when I was searching for a name for the café, I researched the bird and found that they truly are a family bird. You know the expression it takes a village to raise a child? Well, chickadees know this. For the most part, they mate for life, but they rely heavily on extended “family” or friends to help them stay alive. Because they’re a tiny bird, they’re easy prey to larger animals. But when they stick together, they appear bigger and can protect themselves in larger numbers. I thought that was very fitting for a café that is focused on building community. My goal with Chickadee Family Café is not just to fuel parents with caffeine and be a fun place for kids, but to help parents to find their village, to feel supported in their parenting journey and connect with others.
How do you balance having kids & running a business? Well, I’m glad that I have a play space for my son to play. He’s a part of the business, no question. He helps out with cleaning sometimes (when he feels like it), and he’s a frequent visitor at the café, telling other kids the play rules (no shoes and food in the play room). But like anything, sometimes it’s a challenge to have to put on that business owner hat and say Mommy needs some time now to do some important business things like accounting. Maybe when he’s older he’ll crunch the numbers better than me!
What inspired you to open up the cafe? I’ve always frequented coffee shops. I loved the vibe of the community café and always dreamed of one day owning one. But it was when my son was around 2 years old that I realized there was a type of café missing – one that catered to young families. All of the indoor play places I took him to were bright yellows and oranges – super stimulating colours – they had slides and mazes and kids were running and jumping around. I got stuck in a few slides and banged my head a few times squeezing my adult body through these child size tunnels. When I looked around I saw parents standing around looking exhausted and bored. It was hard to have a conversation with another adult. And there was no coffee for parents. If there was, it was vending machine coffee and the snacks were all junk food. I thought wouldn’t it be great if there was a place that looked like an adult coffee shop but that was fun for kids too? I couldn’t find one, so I decided to build it myself.
What advice can you give someone looking to start up their own business? Find a supportive tribe. When I had this idea to start this business, I didn’t really know any local entrepreneurs. I reached out on Facebook to a few groups and went to a few events and I was amazed at the community that I discovered. I had no idea that this community of entrepreneurs existed and I’m so glad that I found them. They have provided emotional support, technical support, knowledge support. Just knowing that whatever I’m going through in business is something that someone else has probably gone through and can shed light on is huge. We all motivate each other. When one of us is down, there’s a whole tribe to lift her up. That’s been a game changer for me. I don’t think I could have got through the ups and downs of starting the business without the support of this community.
What sets your business apart from others alike? We’re not a typical café and we’re not a typical indoor play ground. While most cafes don’t have anything for kids, most indoor play places don’t have anything for adults. Chickadee Family Café combines the best of both worlds. Kids love playing in our play room and adults love the coffee shop vibe, the calming colours, the community ambience, and, of course, the coffee!
What is the most challenging part of running your business? For me the most challenging part is just all of the rules and paperwork and things that you have to do in business to be legal! Being a solo business owner, I have to juggle a lot of responsibilities and I wear a lot of hats. I’m the barista, I’m the play coordinator, I’m the birthday party planner, I’m the scheduler, I’m the bookkeeper, I’m the marketer, I’m the person answering emails and facebook messages and I’m the one painting the walls! That can be challenging because I know that if I forget to do something, there’s no one else who’s going to remember it for me. So I have to make sure it gets done. It reminds me of when moved out of my parents’ house and was on my own. For the first time I realized how much my mom had done for me. If I put a plate down somewhere, that’s where it stayed for hours, days … until I came back and picked it up. No one else was going to pick it up and wash it. Just me. I didn’t realize until then that my mom was like a vacuum going around picking up everyone’s forgotten and discarded plates. So, now I have to make sure I juggle all of my plates and not let one drop.
Coffee or tea? Definitely coffee. Although 3 Teas, our Burlington-based tea supplier, has some really amazing tea blends. Her lavender white tea is my favourite. Made as a tea latte it’s amazing. I can drink that and fall right asleep! Neutral or colourful? Definitely colours. Life is too exiting to be painted beige. Morning or night? I’m a night owl, but I’m trying to be more of a morning person. Wine or beer? I actually don’t drink either ☹ Starbucks or tims? Umm …. Chickadee! Online shopping or in store? Definitely online. I don’t have much time for shopping. Instagram or facebook? Instagram to see what everyone’s up to. Facebook for asking for advice and having conversations. Text or phone call? The only person I ever call and talk to for hours is my mom. I never really text her. Everyone else I definitely text though. Even hubby. And I like to Google Duo (facetime) my son if I miss seeing him before bedtime.
Instagram: @chickadeefamilycafe
Website: www.chickadeefamilycafe.com
@Camara.Crew Stamp of Approval:
I've been so excited to head to Burlington to check out Chickadee Family Cafe and upon arrival I was so impressed. The space is bright and inviting from the moment you walk in the door. But what I loved most is that the space is adult and kid-friendly. I am always looking for places that I can take the kids that have the following:
1. Activities and toys that will entertain both my children as they are at very different stages
2. A space that I could set up comfortably and work on my blog
3. Good food and drinks
Chickadee Cafe checks off all these boxes. I find with traditional indoor playgrounds and kids play places that it is chaotic, noisy, there is limited space for adults to work if need be and that am constantly worried about my kids getting into something they shouldn't be. While I didn't attend the cafe this time around to work on my blog, I could totally see myself going back to get some work done. I find it very difficult to work on my blog while the kids are around at home. Having a space I could go to and know I can work and play with my kids is amazing. I like that the layout of the cafe allows me to sit outside of the play area and work, but still be able to see my kids inside the play area. There is also space I could sit inside the play area to be even closer if I chose to. And they have free WiFi as well which is great if you are trying to work on a computer.
Both Mason and Lily had so much fun exploring the play space. There were tons of activities appropriate for both of their age groups (infants and toddlers). We also participated in the Let's Play Dentist Event where Lily got to learn from a dentist about cleaning her teeth. It was great because it was in a non-threatening environment and allowed her to become more comfortable with the thought of going to the dentist while I was able to chat with the dentist and have some questions answered. Chickadee Cafe always has fun events happening so be sure to check out her events page to see what's going on! Afterwards, Lisa set up a basketball net to celebrate the Toronto Raptors game. Lily was so excited and loved playing with the other kids. It was the perfect way to get her excited for the game.
We also tested our some treats! Lily of course asked me for a coffee and thankfully Chickadee Cafe came to the rescue with a Babycino - a must have for kiddos visiting the cafe in my opinion. Lily got to pick which colour cup she wanted and was in awe when she saw the sprinkles come out to put in her drink. She felt so special and just like Mommy. Which allowed me to enjoy my coffee in peace without being bugged to share!
Lisa also has a Market Space where she features local handmade items from a variety of shops. We even found a few of our favourite people's products which was awesome to see. So if you are a small shop looking to expand her outreach, I would highly recommend contacting Lisa about having your items featured in the cafe. Or if you're looking to do some shopping head on into the cafe as I am sure you will find something special.
We will definitely be back in to play again soon and we hope to see some of you there :)
