Grayberry Playtown is a new indoor play space for toddlers and young children in Jones County, operated and co-owned by sisters Kacey Mack and Sara Dove.
The two grew up in Baldwin County and later moved to Jones County with their husbands, both of whom are from the area.
“As soon as we moved here, Jones County became home for both of us,” Mack said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening took place June 2-3. Mack said both days were momentous thanks to the community’s support.
“We are so thankful the community is so supportive. That is the one thing about opening a business in Jones County, I rave about it,” she said.
She explained the purpose of Grayberry Playtown and outlined the services and features it offers for children from six months to about six years old.
“It is a creative play space, Montessori-based, with a lot of imagination play. We have three different interactive markets: a salon, a market and a garage. We have slides, a ball pit, toys — things of that nature,” she said.
Mack emphasized the steps she and her sister take to maintain a clean and attentive environment, ensuring the play space remains safe for everyone.
“We check the equipment every day. We sanitize every 30-45 minutes, sanitizing everything. We keep a very close eye on the space. If we see a child about to jump off or into something, we step in and intervene,” she said.
Grayberry Playtown also hosts monthly events for families. One of the most recent was a summer bash that featured a meet and greet with Elsa and Olaf from Disney’s Frozen, inflatables for kids and snow cones provided by Sno Biz of Gray.
The event also included partnerships with other local businesses, such as Graze with Ashley, a catering company, and Sippin Dirty, a soda bar offering refreshments for parents.
Grayberry Playtown already has a few exciting events planned for the rest of the summer.
“We plan to host a princess tea party, with Belle or Cinderella, the details on that are being finalized. We’re going to do breakfast with Bluey, and we are also going to have Spiderman come in for the guys. We want to make sure we cater to all children,” Mack said.
The indoor play space is open for play Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The business is closed on Sundays for private parties.
Mack discussed memberships.
“Monthly memberships are $35 per child, with each additional child after that $5 off. And that does, if you’re local, save you a good bit of money. With this, you get to come in an unlimited amount of times for the month, whereas if you come in with a child under two one time, it is $9.99, and a child over two is $14.99,” she said.
She also provided details about party packages.
“Party packages range from $400 to $650, with packages including the facility to yourself for two hours, balloon arches, tablecloths, plates, napkins, custom banners and the option to customize your party package however you like,” she said.
Mack explained that the idea for Grayberry Playtown came directly from their own experiences as moms.
“Our kids brought all of it because we were driving an hour plus to the one closest to us, and we were going multiple times a week. We were like, all of our Gray mom friends would go to the playground, and it was too hot. We agreed Gray needed a place like this. It’s a good middle point,” she said.
Mack has two daughters, ages two and four, and Dove has a son, four, who the creative play spaces are named after: Sadie’s Salon, Marlee’s Market and Jax’s Garage. These personal touches are their favorite features of the play space, reminding them of the reason for their work.
The owner discussed why she and Dove believed opening a playtown was essential for parents in Jones County and the surrounding areas.
“We are the only play space within an hour from here. We hit all of Baldwin, Putnam and Bibb counties. Our location keeps people from having to travel for over an hour,” she said.
She also emphasized the close-knit, welcoming environment they have created at Grayberry Playtown.
“We are definitely small and intimate. It has really become like another second family. The same people every day, becoming family. We are family-oriented, know people by their first name, and play with all the kids, all the kids know us. It is kind of special in that way,” she said.
Mack said they hope the current space is only temporary. They started small with 1,400 square feet, which was all they could find at the time, and wanted to gauge community interest. She shared that the support has been overwhelming.
“The community has supported us 1,000 percent. So, we’re hoping to double within the next year and expand. Once we expand, we’ll be able to raise the age range a little and add some bigger equipment, bigger slides, bigger ball pits, stuff that caters to kids six and up, maybe even eight- or nineyear- olds,” she said.
