Rita Karapatakis, Founder of Play á La Mode
Name: Rita Karapatakis
Founder: Play á La Mode
Who is Rita Karpatikis?
Rita Karapatakis, began her career as a certified makeup artist based out of The Hamptons but always had a passion for childcare. In 2018, she transitioned to full-time nannying in the Three Village area and envisioned opening an upscale play café from the ground up, resulting in Play à La Mode's establishment in May 2023. She meticulously designed the space with children's fun, health & safety in mind.
In less than three sentences tell us about your company and what you do.
Play à La Mode is a trendy play café recommended for ages 0-6 featuring an interactive tiny village & much more, all on padded flooring! We host parties, events, open play sessions (online booking only), and have plans to offer more services.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
To me, a FoundHer means unwavering resilience and becoming comfortable with being very uncomfortable. This is a reflection of my belief that anyone can achieve their dreams if they put their mind to a goal.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
Contributing fun, kindness and support to the community while supporting other small business owners like myself along the way is rewarding as I know that creating a start-up brick and mortar is not for the faint of heart.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
I knew that our community needed a facility like this when traveling too far was needed for this type of recreation. I wanted to bring it closer, and make it cooler than the typical. The best time is now.
What are three strategies you use to market your business, grow brand awareness and generate bottom line growth?
#1: Word of mouth. #2: location on a busy road #3: Social media has been a huge learning curve as someone who has not used it much prior, but it’s needed for business.
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