Baton Rouge attorney Melissa Oubre plans to open a Java Mama location near Perkins Rowe, at 8645 Bluebonnet Boulevard, early this fall with a business model designed for working parents: a cafe with spaces to sit and work, paired with supervised childcare.
Java Mama was founded in California by Alicia Campen in 2007. Her idea was to offer working parents a space where they could sip coffee or other drinks while their kids played in a safe environment. Oubre’s Baton Rouge cafe will be the first licensed Java Mama location in Louisiana, and she hopes to open more locations over the next few years.
“I have three boys under the age of four and I’m constantly looking for a place to bring them, and I work also,” Oubre says. “I was looking for a place where I could do some work and have them entertained as well, so one day just Googled ‘coffee and kids’ and Java Mama popped up.”
Oubre says the Java Mama menu will feature drinks, sandwiches, pastries and breakfast foods at prices comparable to other coffee chains; she adds that she’s currently working with local bakeries and coffee distributors to finalize the exact offerings. The cafe will offer play areas separated by age groups to keep younger children safe, she says, and there will be no time limit for how long parents and their children can stay.
“I am really passionate about this concept because I’ve often struggled with being a mom and working at the same time,” Oubre says. “I know there are other moms in the area who need that. They sometimes don’t have access to a babysitter or a day care or are maybe too young to go to school.”
There are three Java Mama locations in California, Canada and Indiana, although some have closed shortly after opening, according to their websites. Oubre says she believes the Baton Rouge location will be a success because the city doesn’t offer any cafe concepts like hers.
“I have exclusive rights to open Java Mamas in the area, and I am considering opening more of them,” Oubre says. “I’ll always keep my legal license I’m considering having this as my career.”
—Deanna Narveson
