PEABODY — A new play space at the Northshore Mall is offering kids more than just a sandbox — it’s inviting them into a world of imagination, engineering, and clean, safe fun.
Sandmagination, a recently opened indoor sandbox center for children 10 and under, is the creation of Swampscott couple and married business partners Jason Stadtlander and Katerina Krumova. The inspiration came during a summer trip to Ohio with their young daughter.
“We were visiting Jason’s family in Ohio and… heard about this indoor sand place,” Krumova said. “It was very much construction themed, so we’re like, oh, this is a great idea. We want to see if we can bring this to New England.”
The idea quickly evolved into something more. Krumova, who has a background in chemistry, and Stadtlander, who works in IT, saw an opportunity to merge their love of science and hands-on learning with a unique indoor play concept. “We regularly go to different museums… so we wanted to have something that kind of combines our love for science and this really cool idea for an indoor play space,” Krumova said.
The result is a whimsical, museum-inspired environment designed to foster STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) learning through open-ended play in the sand. “We wanted something that really blended Children’s Museum meets STEAM,” Stadtlander said. “We think we’ve done a good job of sort of fusing the two elements together.”
Parents visiting the center so far seem to agree. After a family grand opening last weekend, Stadtlander said they received overwhelmingly positive feedback. “They love that their child can just sit and concentrate on playing in the sand and they’re not getting run over like they would at larger play spaces,” he said.
Krumova added that the space has also been welcomed as a place for parents to connect while kids play safely nearby. “Parents felt that they can leave safely their child to play in the sand while they’re sitting at the café that we have… right there,” she said. “They don’t have to supervise their play as they would at a playground.”
The café is surrounded by sandboxes, allowing parents to relax and still be within a few feet of their children. That combination of comfort and control was by design — and so was the sand itself.
Sandmagination uses oolitic aragonite, a naturally occurring form of calcium carbonate sand from the Bahamas. It’s soft, non-toxic, and doesn’t contain shellfish. “It does not hurt kids’ eyes… if it gets in their eyes, it’s fine. If you eat it — I mean, you shouldn’t — but it’s not toxic,” Krumova said.
Maintaining cleanliness and safety was paramount in the facility’s design. “We have HEPA filter systems above each sandbox to make sure the dust is kept to a minimum,” Stadtlander said. “We’re sanitizing the toys constantly… We want this to be a very clean environment.”
The couple began working on Sandmagination in late August, signed a lease in September, and broke ground on construction in January. Their location at the Northshore Mall came with helpful support.
“We really liked the Northshore Mall… They’ve helped us a lot, not just with leasing the space but also with PR support and marketing,” Krumova said.
But building a facility that holds 50 tons of sand came with unexpected engineering challenges. “You need to make sure that the floors and the foundation is gonna be able to support the kind of weight that we’re talking about,” Stadtlander said. They hired a structural engineer to certify the space’s safety and coordinated a large manual effort to bring the sand in on schedule.
Working as a married couple under tight deadlines was no easy feat. “It is a very stressful process… You’re just like spending money. There is no income,” Krumova said. “Jason is very patient with me… We both have our strengths and weaknesses.”
Stadtlander agreed. “I have my head in the clouds and she keeps me grounded,” he said. “We work very well with each other in that regard — kind of creativity and realism.”
They credit much of their local support to the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce, where they made connections with vendors like Tiffany’s Tasty Treats for their café and local firm Peabody Signs for signage and branding. “We had no idea that [the Chamber] would be such a good resource,” Stadtlander said.
As the first full week of business begins, the couple is hopeful the space will become a go-to destination for North Shore families — rain or shine.
“We just try to sculpt everything around [sand] for cleanliness and safety,” Stadtlander said. “Almost 365 days a year, we want parents to be able to come in here and just enjoy, regardless of what the weather is outside.”
