Business & Tech

At Play Cafe Will Close Hunters Woods Location

Owner hopes to relocate to another spot in Reston.

Reston's announced to its customers Monday that the cafe and children's play center will close Feb. 18.

Co-owner Susan Chen said she was unable to reach a lease agreement with Hunters Woods Village Center landlord, Edens & Avant.

"Closing is not our choice," said Chen, who opened the space at Hunters Woods nearly three years ago. "We have been negotiating with the landlord and we were unable to come to an agreement regarding rent."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Chen says it is very likely At Play Cafe will relocate to another spot in Reston.

"I don't think our story ends here," she said. "I am optimistic we will continue."

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Chen said she is in discussions for a new spot, and estimates a new At Play Cafe will open in three or four months.

At Play Cafe is popular among families with young children. They can drop in the center for kids to take part in many activities, such creating art projects, playing on a large climbing structure, taking  movement classes and holding birthday parties.

Chen notified customers on At Play's website and Facebook page Monday:

"Because we think of you as our friends, we feel that we should be honest and upfront with you instead of just putting a sign on the door one day announcing our closing," Chen wrote. "We have enjoyed serving you in our space and location, but felt we had outgrown the space. We were in the process of finding a new, bigger location and planning a smooth transition to the new location, but having the landlord tell us to leave immediately puts all of us in a predicament.

"We realize that many of you count on us as a place to get some work done, drop off your children, and play with your children, so we are trying to find a temporary space that can meet the needs of you and your family. For those of you with season's passes and punchcards, there will be a temporary freeze on your cards so you don't lose any "time" while we transition to a new location, but feel free to come in the next two weeks to make the most of your passes and punchcards and enjoy the last days of At Play Cafe. In fact, we would love to see as many of you as possible in the next two weeks to say goodbye, even though we are sure to see you again, around town and in our new space.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here