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after the previous tenant moved out, he
starting thinking about starting a children’s
play space. On Jan. 2, Playday opened its
doors, and Okshteyn said it has been well
received by the community. Some classes
got quickly booked; Playday’s Instagram
feed drew more than 1,800 followers in the
first 10 days; and by the middle of January,
parents had already reserved 18 birthday
parties for their little ones.
“I’m having so much fun,” he said. “This is
a win-win-win situation. The instructors are
happy. The children are happy. The parents
are happy. We’re just getting really positive
feedback.”
Long Island City resident Julz Donald said
her 5-year-old daughter enjoyed several art
classes and open play sessions during Playday’s
opening weeks.
“My daughter loves Playday — super creative
classes and great for her age given she
has ‘aged out’ of a lot of the other classes
in LIC now,” Donald said. “I also love that
this is owned and run by a local artist who
is super talented.”
Okshteyn said he is already exploring the
possibility of opening other locations in
New York, and would love to team up with
local schools and daycares to ensure more
children have access to art.
Okshteyn, whose firm’s clients include
Jay-Z, the Kardashians and Rihanna,
designed Playday himself. The
1,200-square-foot space includes a
painted mural that reads, “Have fun, Be
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT