36 | AUGUST 10 • 2023
A
fter Lacey Foon’s
twins were born in
2019, the former
commercial real estate asset
management and acquisitions
professional faced some of
life’s greatest challenges.
Amidst a pandemic and a
breast cancer diagnosis, plus
raising two small children at
home, Foon realized she didn’t
want to go back to working for
someone else.
“That forced me to think
about what I wanted to do,”
Foon, 36, of Bloomfield Hills,
explains. As she recovered
from cancer and gradually
began to feel better, she started
to look for needs in the com-
munity coupled with things
she was interested in.
Then, an idea clicked: She
wanted to create a center for
children that specialized in
play-based learning, or a form
of free play where kids can
connect with people, objects,
content and the environment.
“The birth of my twins real-
ly got me interested in early
childhood education and play-
based learning,” Foon says.
“Especially with the pandemic,
so many places for kids closed
and there really wasn’t any-
where to take little kids in the
Birmingham-Bloomfield area.”
It was the beginning of
Fascination Factory, a colorful
and spacious 4,500-square-
foot indoor playground in
Birmingham that offers play-
based learning and STEAM-
focused toys. As a female
business owner herself, Foon
chose to work with female
partners, legal professionals
and suppliers to bring the idea
to life.
“Being a woman in business
in a male-dominated indus-
try, I wanted to help support
others,” explains Foon, who
is also the founder of genetic
screening program JScreen
Detroit and serves on the
Hebrew Free Loan board and
JFamily advisory committee,
among others.
CREATING ACCESSIBILITY
Foon knew she wanted the
center, which opened in April,
Unplugged,
Play-Based
Learning
Birmingham’s Fascination Factory
is powered by kids’ creativity and
curiosity.
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Lacey Foon
MELISSA DOUGLAS
Fascination Factory
is home to 20 activity
stations
business SPOTlight
brought to you in partnership with
B I R M I N G H A M