Little Roots Play Café

12/15/2025

After much reflection, we have decided to remove our recent post. It has been incredibly painful to read such a false and hurtful statements being shared about our family and about a business we poured our hearts, time, and everything we had into. That said, this isn’t why we created Little Roots, and it isn’t how we want it to be remembered.

Little Roots was built to be a safe, welcoming community hub for the littlest members of our community. Small children who didn’t have a space made just for them. As we prepare to close our doors, that is what we want to leave behind and be remembered for: that we saw the littlest of these, and we tried to serve them with care, intention, and love.

We apologize for addressing this publicly and will continue to pursue this matter through the appropriate legal channels. We trust that truth and justice will prevail. Thank you to everyone who has supported us, believed in our vision, and shared this space with us.

This page will be left at that. This will be our final post on the matter. If you need to contact us, please do so privately or by email. This has been an overwhelming and painful season for our family, and we will not be giving it any further public attention as we head into the holidays. Instead, we will be spending this time with our three wonderful children and focusing on what truly matters.

The Little Roots Family.

12/15/2025

Our friends at Barre House Studio generously reached out to offer a Pilates class in support of our store closure. We’re deeply grateful to be part of such a caring community. 🌱

Barre House started from a dream to support our community ✨ So, please help us support Little Roots Play Café and their owners during this time 🤍

➡️Tuesday, December 23 at 10:00 am
➕This class is FREE & ALL PROCEEDS will go directly to Little Roots Cafe.

Please please share 📣 & help us help them through this time 🩷

12/15/2025

12/10/2025

🌱 Miramichi were open today until 4PM! Come get a yummy drink! Chilli’s having a Pistachio Cream Latte.

📍136 Ellen Street

12/09/2025

Thank you to everyone who has donated, sent kind messages, and shared words of encouragement. Your support and love mean so much to us during this difficult time.

To those asking why we don’t “just hire a licensed plumber,” we want to clarify that WE HAVE, multiple times, paid out of pocket for a licensed plumbers to assess and repair the issue. Unfortunately, the problem is not simply our toilet or a simple fix. It is a building-wide plumbing issue beyond what we can resolve ourselves, and we shouldn’t have to.

We spoke with the previous tenant, who confirmed they dealt with plumbing issues in this space for three years, something that was never disclosed to us before we signed the lease.

This situation has been devastating for our family. We’ve invested a significant amount of our own money and have truly tried everything to make this work. Suggesting otherwise, especially without knowing the full situation, is disheartening.

For those suggesting moving to another space, the reason we wont be is simply because renovating this location cost us $13,000, which we paid in full to a contractor who then abandoned the job and left it incomplete. We then had to spend an additional $9,000 to finish the work just to avoid any further delay in opening. After everything we’ve already invested, we will not continue to put our family in further financial jeopardy by starting over in a new space.

The Philberts

12/08/2025

Since opening, we’ve been dealing with the issues shown in this video. We have asked our landlord countless times to send a licensed plumber, but he refused and insisted on using his own contractor/“handy man” — the same person we are already in an active legal battle with for abandoning our build, overcharging with no receipts for materials, changing designs without approval, and stealing $2,000 worth of undelivered kitchen equipment. Because we refused to use this unlicensed plumber, the responsibility for the plumbing was pushed onto us. We’ve paid out of pocket multiple times trying to fix the problems, but the reality is that the plumbing is impacted every time someone in the apartments upstairs uses water even simple things like doing laundry cause flooding and backups in our café. We cannot, in good conscience, continue operating in a location with unstable plumbing. We’ve been covering temporary fixes, but we cannot continue paying to repair a building that isn’t ours. If you’d like to support us as we navigate this devastating situation, you can donate to our GoFundMe. https://gofund.me/f2c7e76d8

12/07/2025

https://gofund.me/cfc60f5fc

This past summer, our family took a leap of faith and opened a small chi… Mark Philbert needs your support for Support Our Shop Through Closure and Legal Fees

12/07/2025

It is with the heaviest heart that we share that Little Roots will be closing its doors.

This is a message we never imagined writing especially less than three months after opening. But due to ongoing and severe plumbing issues within the space we leased, along with other circumstances we will be pursuing legally, we have been left in a situation that we simply cannot fix. After weeks of trying every possible avenue, we have had to make the incredibly difficult decision to close Little Roots.

We know this feels sudden. It is sudden. And we want you to know that this is just as heartbreaking for us as it is for you. My family believed deeply in this city. We poured everything we had, our savings, our time, and our hope into building a space for Miramichi families to play, connect, and feel at home. You welcomed us with open arms, and for that, we will forever be grateful.

Our last day open will be December 31st. If you have any passes, or gift cards please use them before that date. Anyone with a birthday party booked after that date will be contacted directly and fully refunded.

We are also sharing our GoFundMe(link in comments) which will help with legal costs as we work to ensure those responsible are held accountable. It will also support us through the financial hardship of closing the business and help our family as we navigate this enormous loss. Your support, whether through sharing, donating, or simply offering kind words means more than we can ever express.

This community made our dream come alive, even if only for a short time. And the memories created in this little space will stay with us forever.

Thank you, Miramichi, for believing in us.
Thank you for loving Little Roots.
And thank you for making these past months unforgettable.

With gratitude and heavy hearts,
The Little Roots Family | The Philberts

12/06/2025

🌱 We’re opened today from 10AM - 2PM! 🌱

12/05/2025

Please be advised our washroom is out of order.

12/03/2025

🌱 DECEMBER $5 SPECIAL! 🌱

From December 9th through December 31st, all Weekday Open Play sessions are just $5! Bring your little one to explore, play, and have a blast in our warm, cozy play café!

Invite a friend and make it a play date! Bookwhen.com/littlerootsplaycafe

12/03/2025

🍃 Miramichi come get a taste of our Cookie Butter Latte. See why we’ve sold over two hundred of these!

136 Ellen Street, Miramichi