It was announced in July 2018 that kids’ play place Detroit Kid City would open a location in Dearborn. With its recent opening, we wanted to check back in with franchise owners Fouad Bazzi and Amal Bakri to learn all about it.
Q: After all your hard work, Detroit Kid City has opened in Dearborn. How's it feel?
Amal Bakri: It is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. It has brought me so much joy to know that Fouad and I have brought a truly innovative kids' play place to the community of Dearborn. I feel like our city was missing something like this for a long time. Anytime I would want to take my kids somewhere to play and explore it would always be a minimum drive of 30 minutes. It is very exciting to only be a 10-minute drive from home.
Q: How has the project evolved since first discussing it to now opening your doors?
A: Our project has evolved into an extraordinary play place where children come in and rule this city as they please. While it felt like an eternity to complete our project, the minute these doors opened we were able to watch our efforts become kids enjoyment. That alone was enough to bury any frustration and focus on the great things to come for this community.
Q: What has surprised you most about the process of opening a business?
A: It was not an easy process by any means. It was a learning process throughout the way. We learned all about construction, city ordinances, meeting the needs of the customers. Nothing too surprising as we did a great job of planning. But, we are overwhelmed with the support and enthusiasm about our place within our community and beyond.
Q: Now that you've opened, what's next?
A: Listening to our customer base and meeting their needs is something Fouad and I really pride ourselves on. We love all the feedback that we are receiving and hope to continue to evolve Detroit Kid City in Dearborn. We have several ideas that we plan to rollout, such as yoga and zumba night for children, date night where the parents can drop their children off for a couple of hours, and other organized activities. We also plan on opening later hours on Wednesday's in the coming weeks. Our Facebook and Instagram pages are good resources for parents to learn about these and other upcoming activities.
Q: What can people expect when they visit Detroit Kid City in Dearborn?
A: The children can expect to have a fun time visiting each storefront and finding something special to do inside. They can take the mail and deliver them all around the city. We also have an infant area with a ball chute, car ramps and sensory wall for the youngsters to enjoy. The parents can relax in our comfortable cafe atmosphere and purchase drinks such as our freshly roasted organic coffee, cappuccinos, lattes or smoothies.
Detroit Kid City is located at 22950 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
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