GiGi’s Playhouse & Moon Angel Sweets to Open at The Walker in Downtown Cary

GiGi’s Playhouse, part of a national network, opened its Raleigh center in 2016 and now serves more than 860 families and engages over 350 active volunteers. Its programs, offered at no charge to all ages in-person and virtual, include one-on-one literacy and math tutoring, speech and language development, fitness and nutrition, career development, and life skills programs.

“The Walker is a great location to help achieve our mission to change the perception of Down syndrome,” said GiGi’s Playhouse Executive Director Jeanhee Hoffman.

She also says Downtown Cary Park will create “a dynamic environment” for their participants to engage in.

The larger space at The Walker will allow GiGi’s Playhouse to expand its programming with new fitness and wellness classes, a teaching kitchen, and additional classrooms to allow concurrent programming. The nonprofit has developed a partnership with Moon Angel Sweets, a local confectioner that will open an adjacent storefront in The Walker.

“The collaboration with Moon Angel Sweets has been great,” said Michelle Pfeiffer, President of GiGi’s Playhouse.

“With their support, we can provide career development opportunities to help participants build transferrable skills for the food industry, including customer service and preparing and packaging goods.”

Gigi’s Playhouse is working with Riley Contracting Group and PMC Commercial Interior on the upfit. The location expects to open later in 2022. The first phase of retail and 158-residential units will finish up in early 2022. Office space and the second phase of retail are set to be finished in late 2022.

More About GiGi’s Playhouse

GiGi’s Playhouse is a nonprofit organization part of a national network of 55 playhouses throughout the United States and Mexico.

Each Playhouse is independently funded through its respective community. GiGi’s Playhouse’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome and send a global message of acceptance for all. GiGi’s Playhouse provides programs that are educational, therapeutic, physical, vocational, and empowering for individuals with Down syndrome at every age and life stage to grow and excel.

All programs are free to participants and their families. To learn more or become involved visit gigisplayhouse.org/raleigh.

More About Moon Angel Sweets

Moon Angel Sweets is based in Chapel Hill. The founder, Daniela Leite Waterhouse, grew up on the beautiful coast of Northeastern Brazil, in the city of João Pessoa. She owned a specialty clothing boutique while putting herself through law school and worked as a lawyer in Brazil for several years.

Since 2003, she has called America home. With Moon Angel Sweets, she combines her passion for the delicious traditions of her home country with a mission to develop a socially conscious, community-oriented enterprise through a partnership with GiGi’s Playhouse.

Moon Angel Sweets specializes in Brazilian-style truffles called Brigadeiros which have been Brazil’s most popular sweet for generations. They are locally handcrafted from simple ingredients with methods that have been passed down to their own professional chocolatiers. These bite-sized, melt-in-your-mouth delicacies come in a variety of flavors and toppings.

If you have been looking for a sweet, delicate treat, you can’t go wrong with Brazil’s favorite. For more information, visit the Moon Angel Sweets website.