It’s Play Time in Middleburg’s PLAYroom

It’s Play Time in Middleburg’s PLAYroom

Owner Michelle McNaughton

Photo by Leslie VanSant

By Leslie VanSant

Walking into the PLAYroom, it’s hard to be a grown-up.

The shelves of one of Middleburg’s newest shops are lined with colorful toys that beg to be touched, picked up and played with. Whether it’s a doll house, a mini-Vespa, or brightly-colored architecture “building” blocks that catch your eye, the response is immediate. The mind starts to travel and imagine, a smile begins to turn the corners of your mouth, and suddenly, you feel young again.

Proprietor Michelle McNaughton clearly encourages this sort of behavior.

“Play is what we do here,” she said, sitting on a cushion log around a fabric campfire, holding a soft stick to roast a fabric marshmallow to make a s’more.

She explained that toys in the shop help people, children and adults, play, together. They inspire imagination and exploration through open-ended play in children ages two to ten. The toys in the shop are accessible, inviting and sustainably made.

There’s something for everyone and any budget. That the toys appeal to both children and parents is not an accident. There are science-based toys, marbles and kaleidoscopes, musical toys, puppets, books, scooters, bug toys, dolls and their houses. There’s even a giantsized custom and locally made “light brite.”

On a recent afternoon, customers Ellen and Jim Dyke, former Virginia State Secretary of Education, sang the praises of the PLAYroom. It was their second visit to the shop, and they came back to town to purchase gifts for their grandchildren and start their holiday shopping early.

“We stopped in a few weeks ago and made a plan to come back. We really like the diversity of the shop and how it reflects today’s families,” Dyke said.

McNaughton and Chris Bernard were inspired to open the shop by their own 3-year-old son, Maverick. “We had definite ideas on how we wanted him to play, and how we wanted to play with him,” she said before describing her own childhood in a family that enjoyed spending time with each other.

Opening a destination toy store was an easy decision. The couple built their careers in the retail world and met while both worked at Middleburgbased LouLou Boutiques, so they knew exactly what had to be done. It took only three months from their initial idea in February to open in May.

“This is a dream come true,” she said. “I am the luckiest person I know”

McNaughton and Bernard both grew up in the area, she in Middleburg, he in Warrenton. Their families are here. He serves as a member of the Middleburg Town Council. She has big ideas.

“We want to be an anchor in the community,” she said. “We want to give back.”

They participated in the “National Night Out” sponsored by the town and Middleburg Police Department in early August. And of course, being part of Christmas in Middleburg goes without saying. She envisions future in-store “events,” including a ticketed “drop-in and dine” evenings for parents and birthday parties.

They also donated a private “shopping spree” to the Hill School Auction, Michelle is an alum and her mom, Joan, and sister, Caitlin, are teachers.

“We closed the shop and hosted the winning bidder’s family. We had snacks, some wine and cheese. And we played.”

Photo by Leslie VanSant Owner Michelle McNaughton

Details: Located at 108 West Washington Street, the PLAYroom is open seven days a week. Monday to Saturday from 10 - 5 and Sunday from 11 - 5. There website is www.intheplayroom.com.