Two New Indoor Play Places for Mat-Su Kids

That observation inspired Liliya Zhuchkov and Iryna Osiychuk to open AK Haven Play Café. The two women became mothers just over a year ago but have been friends for longer. They had talked off and on about starting a business together. When a storefront opened in Fishhook Plaza (an appealing shopping mall on Creste Foris Street just north of Wasilla proper that is home to Leo’s Döner Kebab & Pizzeria and whimsical home goods store Brown Chicken Brown Cow), Zhuchkov and Osiychuk jumped.

With help from their husbands Daniel and Alex, their families, and landlord Igor Zhuchkov (Liliya’s father-in-law), and a few other small businesses in the area, the place took shape. They designed AK Haven to be exactly what the name inspires: a safe, welcoming place away from home where parents can bring children to run off energy, interact with other children, practice skills like climbing over soft obstacles (for smaller children) or pretending to run a market. Filled with natural wood tones, soft pastels, and farmhouse-inspired details, the café feels fresh, cozy, and inviting. For grown-ups, the café area is stocked with goods that Zhuchkov and Osiychuk have made, or that other moms have made for café clientele.

“I just imagined myself, as a mom, what I would like,” Zhuchkov says. “You definitely want to put in the work for it to look nice, for it to be clean, for it to be functional.”

The space is geared toward children up to age 6, so hands-on, Montessori-inspired play is the focus. There are busy boards on the walls and chalkboards in the shape of houses. Zhuchkov and Osiychuk say the toys and play areas will change to keep things interesting.

The owners speak Russian and Ukrainian, which they say has generated positive feedback as well. “We had quite a handful [of customers] that don’t know English at all. Their feedback was, ‘This is great, we can order, you guys are understanding of our kids,’” Osiychuk says.

The pair opened their store at the end of June and say they have been pleased by positive community feedback so far—and with customers’ willingness to go with the flow as they iron out details.

One detail that has taken some adjustment: the number of people who can reasonably fit into the play café. When they opened, AK Haven allowed two parents in with each child, but Zhuchkov says it soon got so crowded that it was hard for parents to have a clear line of sight.

“They were enjoying it, but not as much as if they had more space,” Zhuchkov says, explaining that they hoped parents could actually have a chance to enjoy— and perhaps even finish—a cup of coffee while watching children play. When the space was overcrowded, it became difficult for parents to keep children in view. Now one parent is allowed in with each child; there’s a $5 charge for a second adult.

Although “café” is in the name, AK Haven isn’t really set up to be a café where one can stop in and read a book or draft a term paper.

“We’re always happy to have folks stop by for a drink to go,” Osiychuk says. “To keep the space cozy and secure for our families, we kindly ask that only those supervising a child ages 0–6 enter the play area. If you don’t have a reservation, we’re happy to serve you to-go!”

Current pricing is $10 for one child to play for one hour; $17 per child for two hours. Prepaid punch cards for ten or fifteen sessions are available. Parents should bring grippy socks or be prepared to purchase them; the wood floors are too slick for shoes or bare feet. Waivers and more information can be found at their website, akhavenplaycafe.com.

Zhuchkov and Osiychuk say they are already hearing from customers who want to see them expand to another location, or perhaps a larger one. Expansion is something they are considering, Zhuchkov says, but they’re not ready to move that direction yet.

“I do like this space to be small and intimate because that’s how we made it,” Zhuchkov says. “We do have people asking us to grow a little bit further. I want to give us a few months, up to a year, to get a taste of this, but we’re not limiting ourselves and we’re not closing anything off yet.”

Digging a New Career

Another haven is available on the other side of Wasilla, where Dig N’ it has set up in the Meadow Lakes City Center shopping area at the corner of Parks Highway and Pittman Road.

For years, Kara Scott worked with her husband on the North Slope, often spending birthdays and holidays away from her children—and now grandchildren. Missing those family moments wore on her, so she started to think about starting her own business.

“There are so many coffee shops, so many food trucks, so many other things. I wanted something out of the box. I wanted something that was unique, something kids could enjoy,” Scott says. “I was watching a Tiktok video one day, and they had remote-control toys in a sandbox, and it just clicked. That’s where it started.”

That was in February, while she was working on the Slope. She discussed it with her husband, John, who was quick to jump on board. By the time she got home from her hitch, their garage was filled with toys she had ordered for the play space that became Dig N’ it.

Soon they found a spot that was the right size—about 1,500 square feet—in the same plaza as American Charter School, discount tool store MTZ Tools, Pizza King, and Liberty Tax, among other stores. During his time off, her husband and Scott’s son built benches to surround sandboxes while Scott and her daughter-in-law painted the walls.

“It came together so fast,” Scott says. She held a grand opening on May 19, complete with Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce representatives attending and cutting a giant red ribbon. The store officially opened the next day.

The two-story open space is gray, with two large sandboxes filled with 22 tons of local sand, which Scott notes is carefully cleaned both to sanitize and to keep dust down. The boxes are stocked with dump trucks and other dirt-moving equipment, as well as sand molds in the shape of castles and squares.

“I love kids. I sit up there while I’m doing paperwork or whatever, and love watching the kids play. They all do something different,” Scott says. One child might build a complex road system while another digs a hole to the center of the earth (or at least the bottom of the box).

Scott says the location west of Wasilla serves people who might not want to drive into the busier core area, where AK Haven is set up. The target age range for Dig N’ it is a little older than AK Haven; Scott has an area outside the boxes for children too small to get in the sand, but most of the space is geared toward preschool and elementary-aged children. With bench seating around three sides of each sandbox, there’s plenty of room for parents.

Scott is set up to offer birthday parties or private rentals, which she says have been proven popular this summer despite slower traffic while Alaskans enjoy recreation outdoors. She’s planning activities for the fall and winter, such as a dinosaur takeover and story time in the sand—and she’s looking forward to having her grandchildren join her at the shop and play too.

Dig N’ it charges $16 per child for two hours of play, $14 for a second child, and $12 for each subsequent child. Birthdays or other events might close the shop to the general public, so Scott suggests checking availability on Facebook at the Dig N’ it Kid Zone page.

“This has been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done,” Scott says.