The idea behind the business is simple. There are times when all parents deserve to get out of the house for an hour or so, kick back with a cup of joe, and watch their kids play with other kids in a bright, safe space filled with toys. UpSlideDown was located in an affluent area very different from the North Central neighbourhood where April’s Place would soon be opened. Here, the hour after lunch seemed always to be the father’s hour. That November day, the dads were out in force: hunched over laptops, sipping coffee, and casting an occasional look around the room to make certain that Ethan or Chloe or Moses or Zenaya were still present and relatively content.Several kid-sized tables had been pulled together and set up for a birthday party. I took off my jacket, picked up a pack of paper plates decorated with dinosaurs, handed Zack the matching napkins and paper cups, and we began to set the table. It didn’t take us long.Mieka came from the back with two shopping bags full of toys.
