Exploring Life & Business with Ana Salas of Utopia Cafe & Play

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Salas.

Ana, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I think my story really started with becoming a mom. I’ve always been a creative person and I have a background in graphic design and photography, which eventually led me to becoming a professional family and newborn photographer. Through photography I spent a lot of time around moms and young families, and after having two little kids of my own, I realized how much I wanted a space where parents could actually enjoy themselves while still bringing their kids along. I wanted the feeling of going to a nice coffee shop, having a good coffee and connecting with other adults, without having to constantly entertain my kids or worry about them sitting still. I also wanted something designed specifically for little kids that didn’t feel like a huge, overstimulating indoor playground. The more families I talked to through my photography work, the more I realized I wasn’t the only one looking for something like this, it just didn’t really exist yet. So my husband and I decided to create it ourselves, and that’s how Utopia Café & Play came to be! Today we somehow balance running Utopia, working our other full-time careers, and raising our two boys, which is definitely chaotic at times haha, but I’m really proud that an idea that started from something I personally needed as a mom has turned into a space where other parents and families can connect and feel supported too.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. This is our first coffee shop and really our first experience running a business of this size, so there has been a lot of learning through doing. You can research and plan as much as possible, but there are so many things you simply don’t fully understand until you’re actually experiencing them. There have been plenty of highs and lows, unexpected challenges and expenses, lots of trial and error, and of course the challenge of balancing the business with our other careers and raising two young kids. Some seasons have definitely been harder than others, but we try to keep a positive attitude, learn from each challenge and stay hopeful about what we’re building. At the end of the day, seeing the positive impact Utopia has had on families makes so much of it worth it. Seeing parents connect, friendships form, kids excited to come back, and families tell us how much they appreciate having a space like this is a really special reminder of why we started in the first place.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Utopia Café & Play is a family-focused coffee shop and indoor play space designed specifically with young children and their caregivers in mind. What really sets us apart is that we didn’t want to create another traditional indoor playground where everything revolves around the kids and parents are mostly just there supervising. We wanted to create a space that parents genuinely enjoy too: a beautiful, relaxing coffee shop where you can have a good coffee or meal, meet up with friends and feel like yourself, while your little ones have a safe and age-appropriate space to play nearby. Our play area is designed primarily for younger children, which also creates a calmer and less overstimulating environment than many larger indoor playgrounds. But Utopia has grown to be about much more than coffee and playtime. We host a free mom group focused on connection and community, fitness classes, workshops, special events, collaborations with other local organizations and private celebrations. I think what I’m most proud of is the community that has started to form around the brand. Utopia was created from something I personally felt was missing as a mom, so hearing other parents say they finally found a place where they feel comfortable, seeing friendships form here and watching families become regulars is incredibly rewarding. At its core, we want Utopia to be a place where both kids and their caregivers feel like the space was thoughtfully created for them.

What matters most to you?
Supporting women, and moms in particular, is probably what I’m most passionate about. Motherhood is such an amazing experience, but I also think moms spend so much of their lives taking care of everyone else that it can be very easy to lose a little bit of themselves along the way. Creating spaces where moms can feel seen, supported, confident and connected has always been really important to me, and it’s something that carries through both my photography work and Utopia. I’m also very passionate about giving moms a place where they can slow down with their kids and step away from some of the constant overstimulation that surrounds families today. That was very intentional when we created Utopia. Our play space uses warm, calming colours, there are no screens in the play area, and we try to create an environment where kids can simply play, explore and interact while moms can enjoy a coffee, connect with other adults and actually enjoy the experience too. At the end of the day, what matters most to me is creating something that supports moms through this stage of life and gives families a place to connect, slow down and enjoy being together.

Pricing:

• Entry fee (applicable for all kids over 12 months of age) $13 (subject to change, effective until sep 2026)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://utopiacafeplay.ca
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/utopiacafeplay
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/utopiacafeplay