Thressa Nichols (center) and Zac Hodgkin launched Recess Cafe as a third space for parents to work or socialize while their children play. They’re pictured here with their children, six-year-old Frankie and almost-two-year-old Ira, and operations manager Amelia Pointer. | J. Adrian Wylie
Thressa Nichols, a people operations professional who works remotely, decided to open the business she wanted to patronize. She and her husband, Zac Hodgkin, are launching Recess Cafe, where young children can play while their adults work or socialize while enjoying coffee, elevated snacks, and even wine and beer.
The mother of two—a six-year-old Bach Elementary student and another about to turn two—Nichols points out that a university community includes plenty of “trailing spouses” looking for connection and perhaps asking themselves, “Where do I go to meet the people where it’s not awkward, but there’s other people hanging out and engaging?”
Her answer is a charming, brick-walled lounge on S. Ashley, most recently an annex for Downtown Home & Garden. Leather couches and chairs, cushioned church pews, sturdy tables (with child-friendly rounded corners), and a laptop bar share the space with a playscape that includes a padded floor, slide, lofted platform, honeycomb play structure, magnet wall, and non-beeping toys made mostly of natural materials. There’s also an elevated model train track and an enclosed “phone booth,” for when an adult needs quiet to make a call or soothe a tired tot.
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As Nichols puts it, it’s a “‘Honey, you wanna meet up at Recess after work and just grab a beer and a bite and let the kids play before we put them to bed tonight?’ kind of thing.”
Or alternatively, “I just picked the girls up from preschool. It’s 3:30. I have four more emails to send. I’m gonna swing by here, get them a snack, [and] let them play while I send those four emails.”
With Hyperion coffee, Calder milk, and handcrafted baked goods from Fenton-based Crust served from a central prep counter, the café is free to enter, unless you’re a kid, where it’s pay-to-play for two-hour increments or via membership passes.
Operations manager Amelia Pointer, a recent U-M grad, has a childcare background, but it’s up to customers to supervise the kids they bring.
A board member for the Downtown Development Authority since 2022 (her persistent inquiries led to an at-large seat), Nichols believes the central city retains a unique identity. “I know for some people who’ve been here a lot longer than me it feels like maybe it’s lost some of that, but it’s also gained other things in other ways,” she says. “So, yeah, I guess I am doubling down on downtown.”
Recess Cafe, 208 S. Ashley. Wed.–Sat. 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Mon. & Tues. recess.cafe
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