Families with toddlers have a play space that is made just for them in Canton at Sara Khan’s Go Grow.
Inspired by a need for less stimulation and more connection, Khan developed Go Grow as a legacy project. A place that her family could fit right into and a place where others like her family would also find community.
Always clean. Always sustainable and ethical. Always willing to go the extra mile so that every need and nuance is accommodated.
Go Grow is more than just a play space — it’s a place to belong.
Q&A with Sara Khan, Owner of Go Grow
Tell me about your family and new business, Go Grow.
Sara Khan: I’m a mom to three. I have a three year old and a one and a half year old and I currently work full-time in tech. So, I’m a cyber security specialist for Amazon. So, I still have my daytime job as I like to call it. But last year, I was twiddling with the idea because my youngest son has severe eczema, so he can’t play outside in the summer. It, really flares up his eczema. Extreme temperatures can make it go one way or the other. So, I’ve just been one of those parents that frequents indoor playgrounds a lot because of that.
This whole time I’ve wanted a place that catered more to what it’s like when a parent or a child gets overwhelmed… because I get very sensory overwhelmed in a lot of loud places. I also wanted a place just for smaller children. At other play spaces, my toddlers were getting kind of overwhelmed and squished by these bigger kids, and there just wasn’t a space just for them. So I started brainstorming… and I decided to open up one of my own.
How can a parent sign up?
Sara Khan: So basically you can walk in at any time of the day. We’re open ten to eight, and you can have a three-hour session for open play. For a two hour session, it’s $16 and the three hour session is $20. I do recommend that people book online. That way they reserve their time slot and we can keep an eye on capacity. We really follow a philosophy that about 25 kids is our max, because it’s just not an enjoyable play experience otherwise.
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What is something that makes Go Grow unique?
Sara Khan: One thing that I’m really proud of is that we have rooted ourself in sustainability and ethical practices. Everything that we’ve tried to do has started from supporting local businesses as much as we can, or supporting Michigan made as much as we can. And when we couldn’t support Michigan, we went to that highest quality we could get. Our play structure was imported from England, because we couldn’t find someone in the U.S. to do it the way that we wanted. But we had their team fly in from England and then, assemble it all here. Our paintings are done here, locally by a mom who resides in Canton.
Are there any community events or partnerships you’re excited about?
Sara Khan: We have partnered with a local restaurant. Next door Cups n Chai deliver food starting at 11 a.m. everyday. We actually have a QR code in our building that you can scan and get food and coffee delivered while you’re there, and we have some kid’s options as well. In addition to that, we have a co-working space where parents usually will work, we just put up a gate so the kids aren’t able to access it anymore, but it’s really been enjoyable for parents to get some work done from home while their kids have been playing.
How do you work to accommodate all families?
Sara Khan: Accommodations are made by talking to our staff, because we try at baseline to just be accommodating as much as possible. We’re willing to help people with whatever they ask. There’s an instance where we had someone whose sensory needs couldn’t handle wearing socks, and so we made an exception for them. They were able to go and barefoot because they just couldn’t handle the experience. So we will accommodate you as much as we can, whether that’s turning off the music or maybe turning off a light somewhere that’s being disruptive. And then we have a designated sensory room which is quiet. It has a sensory tactile wall and some fiber optic cloud fibers that light up. But it’s really intended for those who are feeling over stimulated in the larger play space.
Fast Talk with Sara Khan
Your favorite word:
Sara Khan: Grow
What is one play space that you visited before you created your own that was super inspiring?
Sara Khan: Stemville in Northville.
Your secret obsession:
Sara Khan: Ice cream.
Your personal tagline:
Sara Khan: Treat yourself.
One word that your kids would use to describe you as a parent.
Sara Khan: Busy.
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