Inside Maggie & Rose - London's luxury private members club for kids and their parents
Maggie & Rose in Kensington, London looks like the cross between an upmarket restaurant and shop from the outside.
Maggie Bolger told Business Insider that Maggie & Rose is mainly intended for children from ages 0-5 years' old and is meant to transform the way families spend time together. She said she wanted to provide a place that was far removed from the average play areas that parents would go to that were "filled with plastic chairs, bright caged areas" like in parks or church halls. There are classes and parties for older children though.
Bolger is super hands-on in the design of the venues, which means she not only personally designs and sets up each new site and heads up the brand’s internal design team, she also oversees lesson plans, annual themes and even the menus for the clubs’ nurseries.
Membership starts at £190 ($279) per month but that doesn't include the vast array of classes for children, conducted in rooms like this one. "Make and Play" classes are £30 per child.
All the decorations and materials are designed in-house by Bolger and her team, which means being part of the club is a unique experience.
She said that the popularity of Maggie & Rose designs is leading the group to branch out into selling related merchandise and furniture.
Children's parties here are also very popular which contributes to the three-month waiting list to become a member.
Around 90 families are members of just the Kensington branch alone because the clubs are also heavily geared to adults have a good time there, as well as the children.
The club has a cafe area where Bolger says adults can do some work while the children are playing or being looked after elsewhere.
The food is also artisanal and healthy and is a far cry from the "terrible food" that is usually served at parent groups, sports or church halls.
Bolger explains that the children eat the same things as the adults here and the kids end up appreciating eating as much fresh, organic, and non-genetically modified food as possible.
However, she says that the rainbow cookies are still the best-sellers.
But Bolger says the adults appreciate the one menu for both children and parents because it makes mealtimes easier.
Children are also able to take cookery classes at Maggie & Rose. "In our classes, we try to not use any processed foods. We don't vilify things like sugar but we teach children healthy alternative ingredients, such as coconut or other forms of sugar," said Bolger.
But Maggie & Rose isn't just about classes ...
... it has sumptuous soft and hard play areas that keep children entertained while parents are relax.
The Kensington venue has a huge indoor jungle gym.
Bolger said she purposely designed it to be hard and soft in areas so "children would learn some element of danger."
There is also a hard play area with custom-made vintage train sets.
You won't find "over-stimulating" bright colours and plastic toys anywhere at Maggie & Rose ...
... or electronic toys and computer games.
A lot of the children's play areas hark back to more traditional types of playtime, including dressing up.
And even all the furniture is sourced from vintage suppliers, not mass produced wares.
There is also a child-proofed outdoor play area for when the weather is good ...
... and a shop for any last minute presents that parents need to pick up.
The venue's dynamic is clearly drawing in heaps of demand though. In 2013, Maggie & Rose opened a venue in another affluent area of London — Chiswick. Then in 2015, a new Beach Club venue in Hong Kong opened.
Bolger said that since they opened up in HK, she has been approached by a number of people to consider opening up in the US, Middle East and other parts of Asia.
Bolger told us that there is such a demand that Maggie & Rose intends to grow UK turnover alone from £3 million to circa £29.2 million in 5 years' time.
Bolger added that she is hoping that aggregate turnover for M&R branded companies globally will reach around £96.6 million in 5 years' time, up from the current fiscal year of around £5 million.
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