What exactly is New England’s largest sandbox? It’s a brand new concept coming to Peabody, and Jason Stadtlander and Katerina Krumova can’t wait to show it to you.
The Swampscott couple is in the midst of building the indoor, imaginative play space inside the Northshore Mall, where the old Salem Five Bank used to be.
“Sandmagination,” as they’ve named it, will feature up to 1,000 square feet of sand and STEAM activities for children aged 10 and under to explore and play with. It will also have a dedicated event room for hosting birthday parties and a thoughtfully designed space for children with special needs, where sensory input can be reduced for a more comfortable experience.
“We just feel it’s really needed,” Stadtlander said. “We have a toddler right now and then two college-aged kids. When the older two were younger, we constantly struggled to find things to do with them, especially in the dead of summer or dead of winter.”
And it’s not just for kids. There will be plenty there to keep parents happy, like a delicious cafe, where they can relax while watching their kids play, as well as activities like sand yoga and zen garden-making. The couple also wants you to know that sand is a special kind of mineral called oolitic aragonite, and it’s coming straight from the Bahamas.
“We want this to be a whimsical, magical space for kids; that was our driving force,” Stadtlander continued. “Anything water can do, this sand can do. It’s clean, it doesn’t leave a mess and it is a renewable resource.”
If you’re wondering where they got this innovative idea, it was on a family trip to Ohio. Stadtlander said they were with their toddler when they walked into this wondrous space full of special sand and tons of imagination. They were so excited to rush back home to the North Shore and create a version of their own.
“Our daughter was really mesmerized by it,” said Krumova. “We could have stayed the whole day there, and she would have loved every second of it. And we couldn’t help but think, well, we don’t have anything like this back home in New England.”
The couple is banking on having a soft opening sometime in March, followed by a grand opening in April. There will be monthly memberships, but people can also just walk in and reserve tickets for a two-hour session. Those range between $15 and $20. Once inside, parents can even extend that session at no additional charge, as long as they don’t go over the maximum occupancy of 100 people. They also plan to offer a variety of discounts, like those for veterans, first responders and educators.
“I am just as much a kid as my daughter is,” Stadtlander said. “So, I’m really looking forward to just jumping in the sand with her. I can’t wait to see how much adults and children alike will enjoy these activities, and we hope people will bring us even more ideas so we can continue to grow and expand.”
Bella diGrazia can be reached at belldigraz@gmail.com
