Building Community Through Play: Maria Hardridge and Eden’s Play Cafe

A Sunnyvale Business Creating Safe Spaces for Families

In the heart of Sunnyvale, Texas, a welcoming space has emerged where parents can breathe easy while their children explore, learn, and grow. Eden’s Play Cafe, which opened its doors on August 7, 2025, is more than just an indoor play space. It’s a community hub born from personal experience, educational values, and a deep understanding of what modern families truly need.

A Name with Meaning

Maria Hardridge and her sister, co-founders and co-owners of Eden’s Play Cafe, knew their business needed a name that would resonate with families and reflect their shared vision. When they settled on “Eden,” named after Maria’s daughter, it represented more than just personal significance. The name itself carries profound meaning: Eden evokes images of paradise, a perfect garden, a sanctuary of peace and growth. For the sisters, it symbolized exactly what they wanted to create—a safe haven where children could flourish and families could find community. Both agreed the name captured not just their familial bond, but the essence of what they were building: a nurturing space where imaginations could grow unfettered, much like the original garden it references.

More Than Just a Play Space

Eden’s Play Cafe serves children from ages zero to six, though all ages are welcome. What sets it apart from typical indoor play facilities is its foundation in imaginative play and early childhood education. “We’re more than just a regular indoor play space where the kids are running around crazy,” Maria emphasizes. “It’s imaginative. So it’s part of like an educational base. They’re learning through play.”

The facility features themed playhouses that allow children to step into different roles: doctor, grocer, homemaker. These aren’t just entertainment; they’re carefully designed environments where young minds develop social skills, creativity, and practical knowledge. For children aged one through four, especially those who don’t yet attend school or lack siblings their own age, this type of socialization and learning through play is invaluable.

Solving Real Problems for Modern Parents

Maria understands the challenges facing today’s families. “There’s a lot of work from home moms and dads, and there’s a lot of stay at home moms, and there’s a lot of stay at home dads,” she notes. Eden’s Play Cafe gives them a place to escape the confines of home, somewhere their children can socialize while they catch their breath and connect with other parents.

But Maria took this concept further. Drawing from her own experiences visiting similar facilities, she recognized a critical gap: parent comfort. While other spaces left adults standing or perched on hard benches without basic amenities, Eden’s Play Cafe prioritizes the parent experience. “We have very comfy couches. It’s laid out very nicely. We offer coffee. We have snacks,” Maria describes. The cafe partners with a local brewery in the DFW area to provide quality coffee, creating an atmosphere where parents genuinely want to spend time.

The result is exactly what Maria hoped for: “A lot of people have built relationships coming in our space. Stay-at-home moms get together and meet other stay-at-home moms and they become friends.” Eden’s Play Cafe has become more than a business. It’s a gathering place, a support network, and a community builder.

A Vision Years in the Making

The journey to opening Eden’s Play Cafe began long before 2025. Maria and her sister had always dreamed of going into business together. “Ever since we were little, we would make up little fake businesses when we would play,” Maria recalls with warmth. Their shared vision, combined with their family’s strong educational background, made the concept of an educational play space a natural fit.

Their mother was an early childhood educator for 25 years, specializing in teaching pre-K students aged three and four. “In our family, education has always come first,” Maria explains. “We were always learning real life lessons, socializing, real life skills through play.” This foundation shaped not just Maria’s childhood but also her approach to raising her own daughter and eventually, her business philosophy.

After years working in corporate America with a background in marketing and experience in restaurant corporations in Dallas, Maria became a stay-at-home mom for nearly three years following her daughter’s birth. During this time, she regularly took Eden to an imaginative indoor play space about 25 to 30 minutes away. It was the nearest facility of its kind, but it had limitations. Maria appreciated the concept but saw room for improvement, particularly in terms of parent amenities and comfort.

When the facility closed during the pandemic, Maria saw both a loss for the community and an opportunity. She discussed the idea with her sister, who was working as a nurse in elementary schools in the DMV area of Virginia. Despite the distance, they decided to move forward. They began planning and researching in 2023, laying the groundwork for what would become Eden’s Play Cafe.

The Experience

Located in Sunnyvale, Eden’s Play Cafe serves families from surrounding communities including Forney, Mesquite, Rockwall, and Terrell. The facility maintains regular hours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with Saturdays reserved for birthday parties and special events.

The intimate, under-2,000-square-foot space may be smaller than some facilities, but it’s thoughtfully designed. Hand-painted murals by a local artist decorate the walls, including the cafe’s tagline: “Where Imaginations Flourish and Connections Blossom.” The space combines educational play areas for children with a comfortable parent lounge, creating an environment where both generations can thrive.

Maria and her team of three part-time guest experience associates ensure smooth daily operations and host birthday parties on Saturdays. The cafe also hosts special events throughout the year, from holiday celebrations like their Christmas party and Halloween “Boo Bash” to educational offerings such as Kindermusik classes, taught by a local teacher who partners with the cafe.

Special Offerings and Community Connection

Eden’s Play Cafe offers monthly membership packages for regular visitors and recently launched Group Play Discount Day every Wednesday. The special discount is designed for small home daycare centers, co-op outings for homeschool families, and other groups of six or more, offering $2 off entry per child.

Community involvement extends beyond the walls of the cafe. During Thanksgiving, Eden’s Play Cafe partnered with the Forney Food Pantry for a donation drive. At Christmas, the facility became an official drop-off location for Toys for Tots, collecting unwrapped toys for children in need. “We definitely love to give back and to do charities,” Maria says, with plans to expand their charitable activities in the future.

The Heart Behind the Business

Maria’s dedication to Eden’s Play Cafe is deeply personal. As a mother who experienced her own challenges, she brings empathy and understanding to her work. The birth of her daughter Eden, now eight years old, was both joyous and difficult, involving an emergency C-section and complications that made it a life-changing experience. “That changed my mindset, becoming a mom and having to be responsible for another human being,” Maria reflects. Her daughter remains her constant companion and inspiration. “She is my little shadow.”

Maria has been with her husband for 20 years, married for 13 years this November, having met in college. Together, they’ve built a life in the DFW area, though Maria herself is originally from Oklahoma City. The move to Texas 16 years ago was a natural choice, keeping her close to family while offering new opportunities.

When she’s not running the cafe, Maria enjoys reading, though she admits that business ownership has cut into her personal time significantly. She loves being outdoors, visiting parks, and jogging. She’s even purchased materials to learn crocheting, waiting for the right moment to add that to her list of hobbies.

Looking to the Future

Though Eden’s Play Cafe has been open for less than a year, Maria has ambitious plans. “Four or five years from now, we would love to open up a second location,” she shares. This expansion would address one limitation of the current space: the “cafe” element. While the current location offers self-serve gourmet coffee, the vision for a second location includes a full cafe with a barista, bakery items, and a space of about 4,000 square feet, double the current size.

Maria is also working toward recognition in the “Best in DFW” awards, hoping to qualify after hitting their one-year milestone in August. The business plans to join the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce and continues to build its presence in local networking groups.

Filling a Unique Need

What truly sets Eden’s Play Cafe apart, Maria notes, is that “we’re literally the only space in this area” offering this combination of imaginative, educational play with genuine parent comfort. The nearest comparable facility is focused more on physical activity and jumping. “The educational foundation of this space” makes Eden’s Play Cafe special. Children aren’t just burning off energy; they’re learning valuable life skills and social interaction through structured imaginative play.

The cafe’s ideal customers are typically women ages 25 to 40, often stay-at-home or work-from-home mothers looking for a safe, engaging environment for their children and a comfortable space for themselves. These are the families who purchase memberships, become regulars, and transform Eden’s Play Cafe from a business into a second home.

Maria Hardridge has created something special in Sunnyvale. By combining her marketing experience, her family’s educational legacy, her personal experience as a mother, and her vision for what families truly need, she’s built more than a business. Eden’s Play Cafe is a testament to the power of community, the importance of early childhood development, and the value of spaces designed with genuine care for both children and their parents.

For families in Forney, Sunnyvale, Mesquite, Rockwall, and Terrell, Eden’s Play Cafe offers exactly what Maria hoped to create: a place where imaginations flourish, connections blossom, and community thrives.

Visit Eden’s Play Cafe

Ready to experience a space where your children can learn through play while you relax in comfort? Eden’s Play Cafe welcomes families Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with birthday parties and special events on Saturdays.

Location: 400 S. Paschall Rd Suite 200, Sunnyvale, TX 75182

Website: www.edensplaycafe.com

Email: info@edensplaycafe.com

Follow on social media: Facebook | Instagram

Ask about membership packages, group play discounts on Wednesdays, and upcoming events. Come see why Eden’s Play Cafe is quickly becoming the DFW area’s favorite spot for families with young children.