MOMentum Cafe and Play gives moms and children a welcoming place to slow down, connect, play and build community.
Imagine walking into a cafe where your children, in all of their sweet chaos, are welcomed too. A cafe built for moms and children alike to deepen friendships as they sit around the table and play with one another. A place where laughter and a little bit of mess are welcomed with smiles. MOMentum Cafe and Play is a place of intention, and that is evident in its mission, menu and setup for make-believe
Mompreneur Meghan King describes MOMentum as a “happy little accident.” As the owners of Ember Academy, Meghan and her husband, Clayton, originally leased the space for additional room for their school in the neighboring plaza. However, they quickly saw a need for parents to have a place to go with their smaller children while waiting for older children to finish either school or extracurriculars. The dream that fueled MOMentum quickly sprang into action, and the cafe officially opened May 27, 2026.
The cafe resides in the same plaza as Graceful Gymnastics, PS Dance and Future Scholars Academy, providing a much-needed space for parents and children to enjoy themselves as they wait. Geared primarily toward mothers and children, King has been inspired by Montessori and Waldorf, and that vision has been brought to life in the children’s play area by offering toys, such as a wooden puppet theater, that engage children in calm and creative play.
Walking into the cafe, it is clear that King has a heart for people of all ages. The walls are light blue and the windows let in lots of natural light, as if the outdoors were thoughtfully invited in. The play area includes a wooden play kitchen and a warm rug with wooden train tracks on the floor for children to gather around and play together. The play area is warmly inviting, as the toys are not overly colorful, loud or overstimulating. There are also various seating options, from tables and stools to comfy sofas and chairs for mothers to relax.
King loves to see moms connect and leave with new friendships. In response to being asked what the most rewarding moment of the journey has been, she responded, “Yeah, it’s not one moment. It’s the momentum. It’s the many moments that make this place so beautiful and special.” In a time when everything is technology-driven, MOMentum Cafe invites others to slow down and connect. It is a place that gathers the isolated and has them leave with a fresh sense of belonging.
At MOMentum, there is a drink for everyone. From lattes to loaded teas to lemonade and chocolate milk, the cafe offers healthier drink options for everyone. They use GramZero to flavor and color their drinks as an alternative to regular table sugar and food dyes. Instead, GramZero uses stevia and colors naturally derived from fruits and vegetables. They also offer protein donuts, a fun spin on a beloved dessert.
One of the cafe’s signature drinks, next to the popular Carry Me Caramel Latte, is the Vibe Loaded Tea, a fun and refreshing blend of dragon fruit, lemon and blue raspberry infused with collagen. According to King, the Vibe Loaded Tea best represents the cafe. “It’s a whole new vibe! It’s something totally different.”
“Yeah, it’s not one moment. It’s the momentum. It’s the many moments that make this place so beautiful and special.”
As a mom to three, King can relate to the isolation many young mothers face. With that in mind, she has crafted the cafe to be a welcoming environment for moms. MOMentum offers community events throughout the week. The last Wednesday afternoon of every month is a LEGO building competition based around a theme. The parents vote, and the winner is sent home with a new LEGO set.
King also offers preschool labs on Fridays from 8 to 10 a.m. King says, “I am an expert when it comes to early child development. I worked in that area for about five years and then worked under a brilliant mind, Dr. Pamela Phelps, and learned a lot from her.” King uses the preschool labs to give mothers insights on early childhood development and to offer resources to best set up their children for success.
As the cafe’s events continue to grow in popularity, King has plans to expand the play space in October by adding a gated outdoor space that will be “more of a play garden than a playground” as they borrow from the philosophies of Waldorf and Montessori. An advocate for both calm and engaging play, she desires that the indoor play area be a calm environment and the outdoor play garden be a place of active engagement in creative play.
Meghan and Clayton King had a vision for a place where people of all ages could gather. Together, they crafted a space with intention and a love for their Ocala community. MOMentum Cafe and Play is a welcoming place for mothers and their children to connect and build friendships, creating momentum moment by moment.
