Owner Rebecca Reindl with a stylish crew of local kids.
Nature abhors a vacuum, which is how the world has ended up with
so many gadgets and services. Somebody figured out that we all needed cell phones, iPods, DVDs and day spas, drive-through coffee joints, things we never thought of.
So one day last summer, Rebecca Reindl, a young Ventura mother with two kids, took a look around, saw not only a vacuum—in fact, a gaping hole—and had a brain-popping idea. There was no place in Ventura where she could take her kids for creative playtime with other children. At least no place where moms could get recharged with gourmet coffee or in-house spa treatments while the little ones do their thing.
That idea was the birth of Imagine That!—a warm, affordable place for kids to dance ballet or hip-hip, learn yoga, or simply play with other kids. And while the children are twirling, hopping, and stretching, mom can sip steaming coffee with other women, surf the Internet, or even pop out to do some errands without a child in tow.
While kids are clearly the focus, Imagine That! provides for moms as well, offering couches, coffee, and even spa treatments.
Imagine That! opened on East Main Street in September, and the new business has taken off like a textbook success story. Which is exactly what the 20-something Reindl had in mind. Armed with an undergraduate degree in business from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from CLU, not to mention a lot of pluck, she started by writing a 40-page business plan. From there, it was on to the hunt for retail property. She found the right space in early summer. “When I walked into the real estate place, the leaser was reluctant to sign a lease for a start-up business,” she says. “When I showed them my business plan, they must have thought I was nuts.”
Next step was getting an interior designer. The 2,500-square-foot space is warm and comfy, filled with pastel colors and high ceilings. Playthings are everywhere, as are little ballet girls in pouffy tutus over white tights. As I walked in, Reindl was manning the front desk with one-and-a-half-year-old Makayla in one arm and six-year-old Sasha (wearing a tutu) tugging at the other arm.
What’s interesting, especially in this struggling economy, is that Reindl didn’t do any marketing; she just went straight ahead and talked up her plan with other young mothers. The moms’ grapevine, after all, is a powerful marketing tool. “I started talking about my place at moms’ groups, and it was really the grapevine,” Reindl says. “Customers were coming in and loved what they saw and starting buying 50 dollar passes.”
Yesina Hughes, 35, works as a paramedic in Santa Barbara and teaches in the emergency medical technician program at SB City College. Four-year-old Haydn is her only child. “We’re always looking for things for her,” says Hughes. “Haydn is in pre-school two days a week, and every day we want to have a fun outlet. So when a girlfriend from my gym talked about this place, I agreed to meet her here.” Hughes clearly liked what she saw: “It looked very clean. She’s got good structure going on, and Haydn loves the dancing. She loves going there.”
Mommies aren’t the only ones giving raves, so are grandmothers. Sharon Yaeko Murray, 50, is a makeup artist in a nearby medi-spa, and she takes her three grandchildren: Mia, Jordan, and Kiana. “Mia saw the place when we were driving by and asked to stop in,” Murray says. “I talked to the ladies and could see it was very safe; there are cameras and monitors so you can see what’s going on. I liked the whole feel of the place.”
Could it get any better? Well, yes. Child psychologist and college professor Kathleen Van Antwerp, 42, brings her six-year-old daughter, Kylee, to Imagine That! “My little girl goes to the same school as Rebecca’s daughter,” Van Antwerp explains. “The mothers in this community are tight-knit, and when we find a positive thing for our children, we share the information.”
Speaking as a trained psychologist, Van Antwerp gives Reindl high marks: “I think it is providing a much needed service for our community. She’s paying attention to where a child is in her development. … Her curriculum is based on the children and family.”
This is the kind of word-of-mouth you couldn’t pay for. And it’s paid off tremendously for Reindl. And yes, timing is everything.
01-01-2009
