AUGUST 10 • 2023 | 37

NMLS #718852

B I R M I N G H A M

We can’t help 
you downsize.

But we can help you 
buy a new home.

Ad Number:
PP-BOAA-22775H
Trim:
7.375" x 4.8"

Perich Job No:
22775
Bleed:
NA

Colors:
4/C
Live:
NA

Format: 
1/2 Page Ad

Version:
07.20.23

continued on page 38

to be easily-accessible for the 
Birmingham-Bloomfield com-
munity.
“I took everything that I 
didn’t like from places where 
I’ve been with my kids and 
looked for the opposite,” she 
says. “Most places are hard to 
park, so I wanted somewhere 
with [easy] parking.”
Located on East Lincoln 
Street, Fascination Factory 
sits in Birmingham’s rail dis-
trict just minutes away from 
downtown. Nearby are other 
children’s activities, and a 
restaurant group will soon 
open next door to the cen-
ter. “You can drop one kid at 
karate or swim, then come 
to Fascination Factory [with 
another],” Foon says.
While the center was ini-
tially created for preschoolers 
and early elementary students, 

Foon noticed more and more 
people with babies were inter-
ested in coming in. She and 
her team, which is all female, 
quickly changed pricing and 
offerings to modify.
“It’s been really great to see 
the sense of community,” she 
says of the center’s positive 
reception. Not only do kids 
build connections with other 
kids, but adults interact as 
well, creating friendships and 
coordinating playdates for 
their children.
With few places in the area 
that focus on furthering brain 
development or social devel-
opment, Foon says a center 
like Fascination Factory was 
needed. As a fully unplugged 
play area, none of the toys at 
Fascination Factory have bat-
teries, plugs or instructions. 
Instead, they’re powered by 

kids’ creativity and curiosity.
“At home, we don’t neces-
sarily have those things,” Foon 
says. “To get away from that 
and disconnect is really nice.”

PLAY-BASED LEARNING 
FOR ALL
Fascination Factory is home 
to 20 activity stations that 
stimulate children’s imagina-
tion. There’s a building area 

with various building toys, 
and tables with trains, domi-
noes and cars. In the center of 
the space is also a family area 
where parents can grab a cof-
fee or sit at a table with their 
laptop to get some work done.
The center also has a learn-
ing toys section with bins that 
are swapped out every few 
days, so they stay interesting 
for kids every time they visit 

As a fully unplugged play 
area, none of the toys 
at Fascination Factory 
have batteries, plugs or 
instructions.

