Room To Party

YOUNG DECORATORS TAKE FURNITURE AND FABRIC TO MAKE A DOLL-SIZED ROOM WITH A VIEW

By Michelle E. Shaw
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, January 26, 2009

Trying to entertain pre-teen girls with cardboard and fabric may sound tricky, but Mary Sittler makes it look easy.

The former stay-at-home mom took an idea that kept her intrigued as a child and created My Room Rocks, an interactive party store in Johns Creek, where creativity rules.

“I remember creating rooms for my dolls with my best friend and then I watched my girls do it and I knew there were other girls who would love it too,” she said. “So I decided to make a business out of it.”

The business started, unofficially, in her Alpharetta basement years ago with her three daughters, now 9, 11 and 13. There was a room dedicated to dolls and decor, where Sittler let her girls’ imaginations run wild.

“I found myself going out looking for different things they could use to decorate their spaces,” Sittler said. “And at one point I thought, ‘I think I can make this a business’.”

At My Room Rocks, the party starts with each child getting an empty 10x10x16 cardboard box —- or empty room —- and a checklist of things they can use to decorate the space. Once armed with a tote bag and the list, the young designers are let loose in the design area to find the furniture and fabrics of their desires. Sittler, with her ever-cheery smile, plays the role of a design consultant, if any of the novice decorators have questions. Once all of the pieces have been gathered, the kids head to the work table to begin putting their rooms together.
“When we walked in here for the first time, we had a fit,” said Lisa Bastian, who was looking for a place to have her daughter Sarah’s ninth birthday party. “Then she showed us what she had to offer and we knew it would be perfect.”

The concept is similar to services offered by chains such as American Girl and Build-A-Bear: the event takes place at the store and guests get to leave with a craft made at the party or a keepsake.

Sittler thought the room-design feature would put a fresh twist on the idea. “It’s something the kids can take home and continue to play with and rearrange,” she said.

A party for eight costs $240 and includes the boxes, 4 pieces of hand-painted wooden miniature furniture, window treatments, bedding, and room accessories. Other add-ons, such as miniature pets and additional furniture, can be purchased. And it’s not only the kids that get in on the fun.

Jason and Tara Abney attended the Bastian party with their two kids, Devin and Ally. The room creations were more of a family affair than something for the kids to do, Tara Abney said.
“I really had a good time,” she said. “I mean, how often does an adult say that at a kid’s party?”

PARTY PLACE
My Room Rocks, 10995 State Bridge Road, is currently open 7 days a week, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit myroomrocks.com or call 678-566-3200.