Scallywags soft play centre in Stonehaven has officially been saved as a new family has taken over ownership.
The popular pirate-themed entertainment centre closed its doors on September 17 after it became a “struggle” for previous owners to run following the devastating effects of covid.
Becoming a favourite place for families to schedule a playdate, it’s no surprise that the community was sad to hear of its closure.
However, Moira Cooper, 33 and Alan Williamson, 37, are pleased to share that they are the proud new owners of Scallywags.
Eager to take it on they told the Press and Journal that they “wasted no time” getting in touch to “get the ball rolling”.
The couple say they were looking “for a new venture” which is why they chose to open Scallywags.
‘Nice place to have a business’
Ms Cooper said: “We’re very excited to be open. We took it over in mid-October, so it’s been a quick turnaround.
“We’ve put our own touch on it and freshened the place up. We spent quite a lot of money making it into a nice space.
“It was quite good before – the soft play and everything was here – it’s just been a given a little revamp”.
Although the couple are quite new to Stonehaven, having only moved to the area last year, they both feel “at the heart of the community” now having Scallywags.
Fitting in right away, they say neighboring businesses on the promenade have been “helpful” adding “it’s a nice place to have a business”.
Despite putting their own spin on things, they decided to keep the original name as it is “so well known” within the community.
However, they have changed the name of the cafe, formerly known as Drifters, to Old Salt. They have even put a churro in the logo as they plan to sell these all year round.
“We changed the cafe name from Drifters to Old Salt and we plan on driving that more in the near future.
Reduced prices
“But, we kept Scallywags. I think even if we had changed the name, it would always be known as Scallywags” they said.
Since opening the couple have reduced the prices and taken on new members of staff.
It used to cost £5 per child but is now £5 for the first child and £2.50 for additional children.
During the week there is an after school club where every child is £2.50 from 3pm.
“We’ve taken on three new members of staff and we are hoping to take on a couple more in the new year, so it’s nearly double of what we started with.
“One of the first things we did was reduce the cost of entry because we know that it is a soul part of the community and we want to make it accessible”.
The couple recall it being a “wild few weeks” when they initially opened as Storm Babet wreaked havoc on the nation – including their new business.
“In our first week we were battered by the storm and we didn’t know if we would still have a business one night.
“The whole front had been battered, the barriers along the beach smashed into the shutters.
“It’s the same as all small businesses at the moment, we’re having to deal with a lot of factors and we are aware that’s going to be difficult, but we are confident”.
Scallywags is located on Stonehaven’s beach promenade and is open seven days a week. More information can be found here.