Birch & Bloom Family Lounge Brings All-Ages Play Space to Eagle River
While setting up Birch & Bloom Family Lounge on Mausel Street, co-owners (left to right) Kyle Haken, Ashley Haken, Katrina Quinn, Skyler Quinn, and their children have been drumming up business at Eagle River Market.
Photo Credit: Ashley Haken
What is a “family lounge”? Eagle River is about to find out. Birch & Bloom Family Lounge is scheduled to open in mid-August, serving a somewhat different clientele than Odd Man Rush Brewing next door, in the Artillery Road neighborhood. Birch & Bloom swaps craft beer for a full espresso bar, food truck grub for charcuterie-inspired sandwiches and snacks, and concerts and comedy nights for family-friendly tunes, creative workshops, and a safe space to play.
“Family lounge is definitely a new concept, but it’s exactly what it sounds like,” says Ashley Haken, who co-owns Birch & Bloom with her husband, Kyle, and business partners Skyler and Katrina Quinn. “It’s a facility designed for kids and parents, somewhere families can go and enjoy open play, workshops, classes, birthday parties, and events.”
Kids Play While Parents Relax
The idea for Birch & Bloom came from Haken’s growing awareness that Eagle River lacked sufficient venues for family activities, particularly indoor ones. The mom of two watched families cycle through the same local spots for kids’ activities and birthday parties, until they had exhausted every option.
“A lot of people are then going to Anchorage,” she explains, “which, there are great options, but it’s a lot harder to pick up the family, load them up, and take them to Anchorage to do something as simple as a birthday party.”
Current Issue
July 2026
Birch & Bloom is meant to fill that void. The 1,800-square-foot space will accommodate both parties and general play, with a workshop and event space downstairs and a play area and lounge upstairs. Rather than large, playground-style equipment, Birch & Bloom is designed around open-ended, imaginative play with thoughtfully curated toys, games, and activities for kids of all ages. The upstairs lounge overlooks the workshop, while a “cozier” area, furnished with swivel chairs set in front of six-foot-tall windows, allows parents to relax while still supervising their children in both spaces.
The downstairs space can be closed off for private events and workshops. Birch & Bloom plans to collaborate with local artists, musicians, creators, educators, and small businesses to host classes, workshops, and other events; an artist and musician has already committed to host kids’ classes, Haken says. There is also the potential to host after-hours, adults-only classes for moms’ night out events or date nights, she adds.
Alaska Berry & Board will operate the downstairs café. In addition to the full espresso bar, the café will offer pastries, grab-and-go sandwiches, charcuterie trays, and other snacks, all made fresh daily. “It’s a very upscale feel,” Haken says of the café menu. “It feels a little elevated the way it’s presented, but it’s realistic for the everyday person.”
The name Birch & Bloom came from a desire for a moniker that felt true to Alaska and reflected the partners’ vision for the business, Haken says.
“We landed on Birch & Bloom because it’s fun to say, but also I feel like the birch is really true to Alaska, and true to Eagle River. It’s beautiful,” she explains. “The bloom side of things really ties into what we’re doing and why we’re doing this: so people can learn together and grow together and bloom as a person.”
Birch & Bloom plans to offer drop-in, punch pass, and monthly memberships. Updates on the opening and future classes and workshops are posted on its website.
