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About Us

Our Motivation

CityOwlets LIC Indoor Playspace Cafe
CityOwlets LIC Indoor Playspace Cafe
CityOwlets LIC Indoor Playspace Cafe
CityOwlets LIC Indoor Playspace Cafe

Our Story

CityOwlets LIC Indoor Playspace Cafe
Linda Nguyen

Founder & Owner

 

I'm a NY transplant from Dallas, TX. I moved to Long Island City in the summer of 2014 and encountered many struggles with being a first-time parent, especially in a new city away from family and friends. One of the major challenges was finding somewhere to go in the neighborhood without having to trek miles away or haul the stroller up and down subway stairs to venture into the City. The idea for an indoor play café came about after I spent the majority of the winter season of 2015 indoors with an infant, teetering on the edge of going stir crazy. Seeing the influx of young families to Long Island City, further confirmed the demand for a space like this in the community. I then set out to design and build a play café which will quench the children’s thirst of active play and fuel their imaginations, meanwhile creating a friendly and social environment where adults can recharge their batteries.

 

Prior to starting City Owlets, I spent 10 years in the finance industry and 5 years in organizational management - specializing in business strategy, reorganization, and development. I have a bachelors degree in Finance, Entrepreneurship, Applied Arts & Science – Sociology, and Organizational Behavior & Human Resource Management. Prior to becoming a mother, I loved to travel, golf, discover new restaurants and foods, and sing karaoke. Since becoming a mother, I enjoy my meals in under 2 minutes, have become best friends with my pressure cooker, recite nursery rhymes all day long, and sing all of my conversations.

 

Fun fact: Since 2015, I have taken my little gem, Emma, to over 500+ baby-oriented gym/music/art classes and almost all cultural institutions throughout the city. In doing so, I have garnered a wealth of knowledge; as it pertains to indoor playspaces, but the greatest take-away is knowing where 90% of the subway/street elevators are located!

City Owlets is an innovative and dynamic community gathering space for the modern-day family.

 

We feature an open play space where there’s something for everyone – the little ones and their favorite grown-ups.

 

Our doors opened in January of 2017

and we are the first indoor playcafé of its kind in

Long Island City.

The primary focus of City Owlets is to provide a fun and intellectually stimulating, safe, and eco-friendly space for physically active children, 6 years old and younger, to play while parents relax (kind of) in a highly visible, controlled environment.

 

Our developmentally-rich venue includes areas for children’s cognitive stimulation, gross and fine motor skill development, and imaginative play. City Owlets fosters a creative and fun environment for safe exploration, age-appropriate activities, and natural learning through purposeful play for your little ones’ curious minds and busy bodies. Our play space is designed to allow kids to be kids and adults to partake in “grown-up activities” or “simple luxuries”, i.e., sip our locally roasted coffee/tea, hold “normal-adult” conversations with friends, and thoroughly chew up food from our café, instead of having to inhale meals! Your family time at City Owlets will be a much-needed mini break for everyone!

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