DaVinci Workshop and Cafe offers families fun, stimulating activities
BETHEL PARK – Activities abound in every direction at the DaVinci Workshop and Cafe in Bethel Park. From painting tables to a puzzle table and maker space area, the workshop is designed to inspire and delight.
The workshop and cafe opened last March and offers STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) products, events and summer camps.
Owner Golnaz Banihashemi, an engineer and Upper St. Clair resident, has a love of learning, and for many years had the idea for a space to allow children and teens and adults to explore, learn and create.
The second-floor workshop, located at 2311 Bethel Church Road, is divided into three sections. Kids ages 3 to 14 have an area that includes a maker space with a 3-D printer, robotics kits, painting and other building supplies; the cafe with a coffee bar has a seating area, snack items and complimentary Persian tea as well as pastries from local bakeries; and a family section, open to all ages with a puzzle table and retail section featuring fashions from emerging artists.
Banihashemi has collected robotic kits from around the world to stock in her workshop, testing each for quality before placing them in the workshop, in addition to Legos and other building options.
“There are so many things to try out,” said Banihashemi.
She wanted a space in the South Hills, close to home and the local area schools. “I wanted to be in an area with all of the school districts, and bring this to the families,” Banihashemi said. After finding the site in October 2023, she signed an agreement in January 2024 and opened March 4. It was a quick turnaround, but Banihashemi was ready.
“For years I was planning this. I already knew the suppliers. I did research on the products. All the pieces of the puzzle came together,” she said.
Just beyond the seating in the cafe area, there is a section set aside as retail space occupied by The Baha Shop, featuring fashions from emerging artists. Banihashemi provides vendors a space to rent to present their services or classes with the goal of connecting artists and scientists with the community.
Banihashemi incorporates her culture into the cafe, offering Persian tea to patrons at no charge, as is the custom for vendors in Iran. Children can experience a traditional Iranian custom in the kids’ section of the workshop. Banihashemi has a low table covered with a blanket and an electric warmer (charcoal was commonly used) beneath the table. She explains that in her country, families would sit around this table and warm their feet while playing games
together as a family.
Banihashemi seeks to emphasize family. Memberships are available based on family size, with grandparents included at no charge. Benefits for membership include cafe credit, discounts on summer camps and birthday parties, vendor classes, the boutique, as well as drop-off services. A scholarship program is also available.
The lion in her logo represents family. “The goal is to bring the family together,” she said, and accounts for the three sections in her space.
The workshop also offers day passes for using the workshop. Supplies are provided for creating. Caregivers can stay and enjoy the cafe or build a puzzle at no extra charge.
Banihashemi often has Upper St. Clair students and the high school girls robotics club assist in the workshop for community service hours. Being a staff of just one, she will hire sitters, many of whom are college students, who have passed background checks. Sit-down workshops accommodate up to 24 kids. When she is working with schools, she can expand the number to 50. She also provides after-school workshops and STEM field trips in the schools.
The summer camps in June and July will offer six weeks of engineering programming in the morning and six weeks of essential skills in the afternoon. The engineering camp will cover architecture (including expanding the Kennywood model built last year), electricity and robotics with coding and planetarium space. Essential skills will cover sewing, money management, time management, basic first aid, laundry and cooking. The camp is open to children ages 5 to12.
Lisa Williams of McKees Rocks and her daughter Gia, 8, have been fans of the DaVinci Workshop from the start. They were looking for somewhere indoors during the cold weather.
“For the cost to come here and have all of these choices, it’s a no brainer,” said Williams.
Although her workshop is for profit, Banihashemi said she would like to partner with nonprofits for projects. This past Christmas, she held a one-week Santa Workshop for kids to make painted boxes with warm socks included for the Veterans Health Administration Hospital in Pittsburgh.
“Having families, and especially the kids, make things and see that these things go to someone who uses them is important,” said Banihashemi.
“The good thing about this place is the imagination. It’s unlimited,” said Banihashemi.
For more information, go to https://www.davinciworkshopcafe.com/.