11/14/2018
I am sad to share the news that Play, Work or Dash will be closing its doors on Friday, November 16, 2018. While we have to say goodbye to this location at this time, we will not say goodbye to the dream or movement we have created. I am grateful for all of your support and will never feel regretful about what we co-created.
Here is a blog post I wrote about our closing:
I walked through each room touching everything. My fingertips were a conduit to my heart. With each graze my heart swelled. A sense of pride filling me. I thought of everything. My business was shiny and new. So much untapped potential. So much hope. I took an idea and turned it into a physical manifestation. This was just the beginning.
Soon days turned to months and months turned into years. And this physical place became a home to many. From the amazing employees who committed themselves to the cause... to the children who claimed their own piece of the place and never wanted to leave.. to the people who reinvented themselves and found the inspiration needed to create their own way to make income while raising little ones.
In the last three years these walls cared for more than 1,000 children (we provided 16,500 hours of child care) and supported more than 340 members in the way they needed and wanted to be supported. They created their own schedules and dictated their own level of child care needs.
These walls hosted countless birthday parties, date nights, meetings, private events, summer camps, and workshops.
This community was about more than just the desks or toys or the carefully selected color palate, or inspirational quotes hanging on the walls. This community was about embracing a different way to look at the needs of family. About the way we look at balancing work or business while choosing to stay home with little ones. About saying yes to creating our own way to make income. About living and working in a fully supportive environment that never judges your choices and always understands how precious just a few hours of uninterrupted time to work can be to a parent.
When I think of the bright eyed children playing while their equally bright eyed parent typed furiously at their laptop while sipping actual hot coffee, I feel the similar sense of pride. I know I created something special. Something needed. Something important. Something I can never regret.
And while I am sad to have to close our doors and dismantle the beautiful things I handpicked, I take solace in knowing that I helped as many people as I could while I could.
There are many reasons a small business has to close their doors - sometimes it’s just a matter of running its course. Sometimes it’s a perfect storm of complacency and bad timing. Sometimes even the most loved places simply can’t find the margins needed or financing wanted to make it last.
Regardless of the reasons, I can still feel that same sense of hope as that very first day. I can still walk through each room and feel the vibrations of pride and love. I turned my dreams into a reality and that can never be taken away.
Thank you all for your support and your patronage and your belief in this idea. While I am closing the doors to Play, Work or Dash on Friday November 16, 2018, I will not close the doors on the dream of supporting families. I’m not sure what will happen next on my journey, but I won’t ever stop dreaming.
You can follow my journey on Facebook Nicole Dash - Entrepreneur/Realtor/Writer and Instagram to see what's next.
Take care,
Nicole Dash, Owner and Founder, Play, Work or Dash
