Raised in a house of eleven
Anne and Kathy grew up in a bustling household just outside Medford, Oregon, among nine siblings. Between chores and looking after the younger ones, they spent their childhood supporting hardworking parents and building the bond the cafe is named after.
They moved to the Portland area in the late seventies and early eighties, raised three boys between them, and worked as Certified Nursing Assistants before moving into business — Anne into consultancy, Kathy into accounting and HR, and then catering.
Anne Nottingham & Kathy Tippets
A kitchen problem that turned into a business
Anne’s gluten allergy sparked a culinary challenge in the sisters’ kitchen, where they experimented tirelessly with gluten free substitutes to recreate the recipes they loved. What began as working around one person’s diet became a shared idea: a cafe where gluten free food was genuinely good rather than merely available.
As retirement approached, a casual family dinner conversation turned it into a plan. Why not combine a passion for good food with the need for indoor play space? They had noticed a gap on visits to existing play areas — somewhere children could move freely while the adults with them ate properly, rather than one at the expense of the other.
“Why not combine their passion for good food with the need for indoor play spaces?”
The idea, at a family dinner
From an idea to an open door
The company is formed
Two Sisters Play Cafe, LLC was formed as an Oregon limited liability company on 3 August 2016.
Finding the building
An early search for a site fell through. The sisters then found a location on SE McLoughlin Boulevard with an affordable lease and good visibility, and spent two years turning it into a cafe and a playroom.
Approvals
The city gave final approval in September 2018, and the county inspection followed.
The doors open
A soft opening on 20 September, and a grand opening the same month. Two years of building, and a family dinner conversation, became a room full of children.
Who runs it
Anne Nottingham
Chief Executive OfficerKathy Tippets
Chief Operating OfficerJon Stoll
Chief Financial OfficerBeyond the front door
The cafe has partnered with the PDX Diaper Bank, collecting donations for families across the Portland area.
It was also a PDX Parent Reader Favorites nominee — an award voted for by local parents, which is the only kind that really counts in this line of work.
The room they built
The cafe is on SE McLoughlin Boulevard in Milwaukie. Come for the play, stay for the food.