The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stressful time not only for Lindsay Toutant, but also for some of her customers.
Toutant owns Heartworks Children’s Studio. It provides art and sensory experiences that are not solely for kids who are neurodivergent or on the autism spectrum, but they do make up a significant portion of the clientele.
“I don’t know a single child that hasn’t been affected in some way by the pandemic,” she said. “These sensory experiences really allow them an outlet to process their feelings, but also just to escape and be kids again.”
Heartworks opened Jan. 1 and was forced to close shortly before March break.
“We were super-successful when we opened,” Toutant said. “It was so scary (to close). I’d invested my entire savings into this business. I was terrified.”
She didn’t want to altogether stop offering her services to visitors, though. Selling art kits online helped.
“If I didn’t have the support of the families buying the art kits, I wouldn’t still be open,” she said. “That means a lot.”
Toutant is taking it a step further now by inviting people back to the Laclie Street location for her Outdoor Art Café. She described it as being similar to ordering from a restaurant.
There will be five tables spaced six feet apart, each with complementary art supplies for people to enjoy while they wait for their order to be filled.
Spots can be booked for up to an hour and a half. It costs $10 to reserve a spot. The first booking is for July 17.
There are different options. More information, including a “menu” of items, can be found here.
Heartworks isn’t just for kids. Toutant welcomes parents or caregivers of adults on the autism spectrum or who are neurodivergent to check out the programming she offers.
