Even though Kansas doesn’t have a beach, some young Johnson Countians spent their summer playing in the sand.
That’s the central idea at Dozer, an indoor playground in Leawood where kids can “bulldoze” in indoor sandboxes.
Owners Justin Finn and Molly Kavanagh opened Dozer in June at the Ranch Mart North shopping center, and since then, Finn said it’s been a hit in the neighborhood.
“You see those kids come in, and it sounds silly, but their mind is blown,” he said. “You get like a micro-version of Disney World or Christmas morning.”
Months after getting up and running in Leawood, the husband-and-wife duo have a new concept in the works — this one a bit more prehistoric.
Their second indoor play space, Dinozaur, will open in southern Overland Park later this year — ideally “pre-Thanksgiving”, Finn said.
Dinozaur is coming to 7713 W. 151st St.
- Dinozaur is moving into a space at the Stanley Station shopping center near the junction of 151st Street and U.S. 69 Highway. It will be open in the center near Valor Wellness and Aesthetics.
- Monarch Books & Gifts previously occupied that space, before the shop moved to a different space inside the shopping center.
- Once it opens, Dinozaur’s regular hours will likely be the same as Dozer’s in Leawood — 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Saturday, with extended hours during the summer.
The space will offer dinosaur-themed indoor sand play
The central idea at Dinozaur will be the same as Dozer, with kids playing and building in the sand.
The key difference, Finn said, will be the aesthetic. The sandbox will have black sand and dinosaur-themed toys for kids to play with.
The Overland Park space will also be twice as large as Dozer’s Leawood storefront, with two sandboxes and a “Jurassic Park” theme — lots of greens, browns and blacks.
They’re also exploring the idea of incorporating augmented reality into the space, with projected virtual dinosaurs on the walls for kids to “chase” in the sand.
Finn said that memberships will be good at both Dozer and Dinozaur.
“We decided to give it a shot and kind of diversify our portfolio,” he said. “With the growth and everything that’s going down in south Overland Park, we found that it was a good market. And it’s a little closer to Olathe and parts of (Johnson County) that we have a good audience with.”
Dozer debuted in Johnson County this year
Dozer opened at Ranch Mart North in June, replacing StretchLab at the shopping center.
At the time, Finn and Kavanagh said the desire to debut Dozer in Leawood made natural sense as Leawood residents themselves. The concept also hit close to home, with their own son, Jack, enjoying time in his sandbox in their backyard.
Overland Park isn’t where Dozer’s expansion ends, either. Finn said the brand is in the process of growing beyond Johnson County, in Wichita, St. Louis and Bentonville, Arkansas.
Finn said the business will also continue its partnerships with local businesses and fundraisers — most recently including a fundraiser for the family of a Leawood boy who was struck while riding an electric scooter this month.
“That’s one of the reasons we built this business,” he said. “In light of some people having some terribly difficult parts of their life, we can at least do something for them.”
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