Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle (Elle) Rebuck.
Hi Danielle (Elle), we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
This is a long story, lol, so I will try to be as short as possible, but that is tough! We firmly believe that God put this business in our hearts and fully prepared us for this endeavor through our past experiences. We are a mother-and-daughter duo for those who do not know. We have been in business together before at a South Florida treatment facility. My mom was the owner, and I was the COO. While working there, I also became certified as a doula after my own traumatic birth experience and brought that passion into the treatment space and offered free services through a foundation I started, “Labor of Love,” to women struggling with addiction. It was a beautiful and rewarding season of life, but we felt called to change direction. We both moved to St. Johns County in August of 2022 and quickly realized the lack of indoor spaces for families to gather, connect, and let their children play. Like many other transplants, I was looking for my tribe of like-minded mamas, and that was hard to do without a meeting space. I know as a doula how important creating community is, and this area lacked that. I wanted to help bridge this gap in motherhood and provide a safe space for families to meet, gather, and play with their littles! It truly was an authentic desire to serve this new community I was a part of, and I hope that shows within our space.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Goodness No! But anything worth doing requires some sweat equity, and there was plenty of that! We looked for months for the perfect spot, and when we did, we were met with construction issues. We embraced the delays and stood firm in God’s perfect timing! Looking back, we know that we opened at the perfect time and that all the hurdles we were met with make us better businesswomen.
Thanks for sharing that. Could you tell us more about your business?
The Little Social is a thoughtfully curated children’s indoor playspace and cafe. Play is the cornerstone of childhood development, and having a safe space to do so is an essential part of early childhood years. We are naturally minded and meticulously sourced all of our products to follow the important foundation of our brand. When someone collectively pours into the community of parents, the community does better. We want to foster the mindset of mothering the mother. We hold firm that our place is more than a space. We offer our space for events and birthday parties and have an array of enrichment classes the community can join! I want to think that our space is one of a kind. Many play spaces have been before us, and many will likely come alongside us, but something is different here. Passion and authenticity are the foundation of our business. Many others in the industry do not have the holistic approach we do. Our products are organic, and we have tried our best to ensure that the play pieces we have chosen are either locally made, USA-made, free of toxins, or overall made well. We are most proud of the transparency and authenticity that surround our brand. In addition, we are very proud of how thoughtful we were in curating our space and products.- we chose as many non-toxic and organic products as possible down the couch our customers sit in! I would love your readers to know that the heart behind this space is beyond pure. As a mom of 4, I need a space to connect with my kids. Having a space where you only have to worry about having fun is nice. A place where you can come to judgment-free and receive love and support, all of why your kids explore and engage in creative play! This is as much about the parent as it is about the children. Parenthood was not meant to be done alone.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
Thats easy! Come visit us! Come try a cup of delicious kookaburra coffee or one of baked goods or paninis! If you have a little, come stop in for a play session! If you have visited us and had a good experience, google and social media reviews go a long way! As for other business owners, we love supporting locals! We are always up for a conversation on collaborating with like-minded businesses and finding ways to support them.
Pricing:
- Open Play $19 for 2 hours
Contact Info:
- Website: thelittlesocial.com
- Instagram: the.little.social
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087587996185
Image Credits
The first image was done by photographer Jessica Lea Photography. The second photo was done by Vivienne Rice Photography
