Treehouse Kid & Craft is more than just an Athens toy store. Alongside its selection of toys and fidgets that fill nearly every available space at the shop, Treehouse offers art classes and also sells candy from around the world and soft serve ice cream.
Owner Kristen Bach said one of the most rewarding parts about owning Treehouse is hearing a child’s reaction when they first walk inside.
“It’s the best when you hear a kid just like, ‘Oh mom,’ or like the gasp. There’s nothing better than that,” Bach said.
While pregnant with her daughter, Bach noticed a lack of stores in Athens focused on children. With a background in art and education, she wanted to create a space where children could explore their creativity through arts and crafts. To make the idea financially sustainable, she incorporated a toy store into the business.
“I went to school for art and education, and I have a lot of teaching experience. And so I wanted to do something that was inclusive to the arts,” Bach said.
Toys and treats
Bach first opened Treehouse in 2010 on the outskirts of downtown Athens. But in 2023, she relocated Treehouse to Barber Street in the historic Boulevard neighborhood, creating an opportunity to expand the business with an ice cream shop called Treathouse Candy and Cones.
The idea came from Bach’s love of food and ice cream, along with her husband’s suggestion to turn an extra room at the new location into a treats shop. While exploring what to serve at Treathouse, Bach noticed a lack of dairy-free and vegan ice cream options in Athens. Her shop serves an oat milk-based vanilla flavor, as well as fruit-based soft serve. Flavors range from classic vanilla to lemon, peach, and even black vanilla made from activated charcoal.
Back sources cones for Treathouse from a Brooklyn bakery. Creative toppings, like pretzel sticks, toasted marshmallows, candies, and even collectible mini figures, help bring artistic flare to cones, cups, and floats.
“I always have to have a visual detail,” Bach said. “I feel like it comes together like a little art piece.”
Soft serve menu
The menu offers specialty sundaes, swirls, and combinations, like a rotating soft serve zodiac series inspired by each astrological sign. The Scorpio sundae features salty black licorice syrup imported from Sweden and homemade black sesame brittle. The S’more, the Merrier is coated in dark chocolate from Athens-based Condor Chocolate and garnished with toasted marshmallows.
Bach’s personal favorite is The EVOO-OOOH, which combines a vanilla soft serve base, olive oil, sea salt and dried orange. She let’s her staff experiment with their own ideas, too, helping introduce new flavors and combinations to the menu.
Not just for kids
Although Treehouse originally catered to children and families, Bach said its customer base has shifted over the years. Since moving to Barber Street, she’s found that more college students visit the shop. Bach enjoys seeing students embrace the space, even if they initially feel out of place walking into a toy store as adults. Customers sometimes tell her they visit simply because they need a little happiness in their day.
“As we get older, it’s just like things get more serious and more serious. I’m happy that they have this space where they feel welcome,” Bach said. “A lot of people come in here and they’re just like, ‘I just needed a dose of joy,’ and that’s the best compliment in the whole wide world.”
Building relationships within the Athens community has always been important to Bach. Along with its retail and soft serve offerings, Treehouse hosts art classes throughout the week, including an adult series called Adult Sparkle Club. During the summer, week-long camps offer children a chance to try their hand at metal-smithing, graphic design and digital illustration.
New ventures
As Treehouse and Treathouse continue to grow, Bach plans to keep introducing new products, classes and desserts to the lineup.
And while her sister runs a separate business called Clubhouse Kid & Craft in Decatur, Bach isn’t ready to open another Treehouse in Athens. Instead, Bach wants to Treehouse to remain a small, family business that serves the community.
“It’s important for me to stay engaged within my community, like through art, be able to volunteer. I think that’s a truly ethical responsibility for a small business to continue those relationships and help [the community],” Bach said.
Treehouse Kid & Craft, 585 Barber St., Athens. Open Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
