Baltimore families often juggle the needs of children with the pressures of daily life, and finding a space that supports both can be rare. Opening soon on Greenmount Avenue, Our House, a playspace and cafe, aims to change that. In a sunlit, newly-renovated corner building, toddlers will soon have the opportunity to climb the indoor playground while parents sip coffee and connect. At the center of it all is Maureen Nicol, the founder and an early-childhood educator whose vision turned years of research, pilot pop-up events, and community conversations into an immersive hub for families.
“Our House offers not just play, but community care, connection, and a reminder that raising children is something we can do together,” said Nicol.
Nicol, who earned her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Columbia University in 2022, brings a wealth of experience as an educator, creative director, and community builder. She has worked with a variety of educational organizations and has founded initiatives like Mamas Who Dream. Her mission is focused on empowering the communities she represents, such as moms, parents, and passionate educators.
“Our House offers not just play, but community care, connection, and a reminder that raising children is something we can do together.”
Maureen Nicol
“On a personal level, Our House means everything to me and my daughter. She’s grown up alongside it — she’s been there since the first concept sketches and pop-ups. She calls it ‘our space,’ and it truly is. It represents healing, resilience, and the power of creating something that didn’t exist for us,” said Nicol.
In 2020, Nicol founded Our House in New York, piloting pop-up events, playgroups, storytelling sessions, and other early programming across both communities. She later moved to New Orleans in 2021, where she continued to grow and promote the program. In 2023, Nicol and her five-year-old daughter settled in Baltimore, where the local families she met inspired her to establish a permanent home for Our House.
“When I moved here, it felt like home right away,” she said.
“It was like the city gave me a big hug. When I made the space, I was listening to what parents were saying, I listened to what my kid said, I listened to what the people and city’s leadership said, and I was like, ‘I can do this, I can do this.’ And this is my love letter to the city,” said Nicol.
“During the two years of consultation and pilot programs, the biggest takeaway was that families are craving spaces that see and support the whole family — not just the child,” said Nicol.
“Parents want connection, caregivers want validation, and children thrive when both are present.”
Inside, the design reflects Nicol’s beliefs in learning that begins with the senses. The playspace features soft lighting, wooden climbing structures, and an array of toys. Parents can watch from the cafe seating as children move freely between play zones designed to spark imagination, without screens.
When it opens to the public, Our House will offer open play sessions, art and sensory workshops, parent events, and summer camps. The cafe will serve snacks and coffee while customers browse from an array of hand-selected items from minority-owned businesses. Nicol also plans to include a period product and diaper pantry, a community fridge, and sliding scale pricing for low-income families.
“If you receive SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid, or are experiencing financial hardship, you will not be turned away,” she said.
Like many small-business owners, Nicol has faced challenges finding the funding to support her vision. In the early days, she turned to community support through GoFundMe and raised more than $20,000 in seed money. Nicol is still fundraising on her website to raise approximately $75,000 to expand programming and establish a solid foundation for the business. This funding will support the cafe, classes, and retail operations, alongside grants and community partnerships that will keep the sliding-scale model viable.
“Over the next five years, my vision is for Our House to be sustainable and rooted — a space Baltimore families can rely on — and then eventually to scale to other cities that share similar needs,” said Nicol.
Educator partnerships are central to Our House’s model, Nicol said.
“We work with early childhood educators, artists, and caregivers to co-create programming that reflects children’s cultures and lived experiences,” she said. “Intergenerational connections are built into everything — from grandparents joining toddler play sessions to family cooking workshops and caregiver circles that include multiple generations.”
These partners have been part of the launch process as the space is previewed to local parents and businesses prior to its opening to establish a sense of community. These events have included showcase viewings in partnership with other small businesses including Rosa Rebellion, a production company for creative activism.
For families that have already visited Our House, the space represents a new opportunity for village-centered connection.
Parents across Maryland are already expressing excitement for what Our House has to offer.
“There’s so much that is thrown at kids these days that’s very regimented and routined,” said Sarah Borrero, a mother from Severn, Maryland. “I love that not only are they looking out for the kids … but there’s a cafe where parents can sit and take care of themselves, and interact with other parents.”
Danielle Wood, a Baltimore mother of two children, said she has been looking for a place like Our House to expand her community alongside her children. Wood has visited other indoor playgrounds, but has struggled to find a place that appeals to her as a parent as well.
“There are a lot of play cafes in larger cities like Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, but Baltimore doesn’t have one currently,” said Wood. “I was really excited when I saw Maureen was opening something like that, so I reached out to her trying to make this happen … There’s indoor playgrounds and places like that, but what I like about what Maureen is doing is that it is very aesthetically beautiful, and a lot of places for kids can be super overstimulating.”
“She’s going to be cultivating a peaceful space for parents. It’s something that their kids will enjoy, but parents really will as well.”
For families that have already visited Our House, the space represents a new opportunity for village-centered connection. As Nicol opens the doors in the coming year, she says she hopes families will find refuge in a space that was created with their needs in mind. “Joy is built into the infrastructure of this business,” Nicol said. “I hope Our House feels like a big exhale when parents and families come in.”