Little Main Street Playhouses® came about through a desire to create a fun, creative space to play and imagine for our kids. To build something seemed ideal. To build something that incorporated interior/graphic/set design, decorating, costumes, and theme parties…even better! So there began the journey to build a bright pink playhouse in the backyard. We learned to drill, cut, and assemble wood. Soon we had a standing building—a beauty salon for our then 4-year old! One playhouse led to two, then three in subsequent summers and soon we had made a whole street complete with lampposts and park benches. The collective group of them inspired a community-type role play of sorts. There were now “mayors” and “policemen” serving Little Main Street”, in addition to the original individual “store owners” and “managers.”
Beyond creative expression, Little Main Street is about the “can do” element of what we initially think we can’t accomplish but do it anyway. The build itself was personally so satisfying to me with no prior carpentry skills beyond a desire to do it. To think that anyone can create what they want to see in the world—however small, is uplifting. This is what I want to share with others: to inspire them to imagine what they LOVE TO DO and WANT TO CREATE, and that they CAN DO and BE just that. Playhouses are just a framework for them to start.
