WHEN LIFE threw everything it had at Corey and Misty Shadd – job loss, medical emergencies, financial hurdles, and a devastating car accident — they refused to let it derail their dreams.
Instead, they built something beautiful out of the rubble: The Village Play Place, a community-centered business in Lebanon.
“Our journey’s really been about perseverance,” Corey said. “We just kept showing up, even when everything said we should quit.”
Long before the idea of a play place took root, they faced a terrifying emergency in 2015 when Misty developed preeclampsia late in her pregnancy with their first child, Hazen. The condition escalated so rapidly that doctors feared for both mother and baby.
“I remember the surgeon coming out and telling me, ‘Your wife’s not going to make it. We’re just trying to save the baby,’” Corey said. “But somehow, against all odds, Misty pulled through.”
Hazen was born weighing just 2 pounds 11 ounces and spent more than 120 days in the NICU. Yet she survived and thrived. Two more children followed, Hutton and Holland, but each pregnancy was a leap of faith.
Alongside the trials of early parenthood came professional transitions. Corey worked bi-vocationally as a children’s pastor and in health care, but in October 2023, he was laid off as part of a massive corporate downsizing. And although he applied for nearly 1,000 jobs and had dozens of interviews, no work came.
Then he was in a car accident.
“I had just gotten off the phone with our insurance agent after finding out we were being dropped again, for a claim they had denied, and five minutes later, I was in a major car crash,” Corey said.
The accident left him with a herniated disc, a severe concussion, and lingering cognitive issues that required months of therapy. To make matters worse, the driver who hit him was uninsured, and Corey’s insurer denied his medical claims.
Through it all, the couple never gave up on their vision for The Village Play Place. The concept had been born years earlier during a brief stint in Louisiana.
Misty envisioned a space where children could play while parents connected over coffee — “a place where community could grow,” she said.
“Every time something went wrong, I just felt like it was the devil trying to throw us off,” Misty said. “But to me, that was confirmation that we were supposed to do this.”
In September 2024, after endless road- blocks and hard-fought renovations, the Shadds opened the doors to The Village Play Place.
The space now offers open play, enrichment classes, birthday parties, and a pre-K program led by a certified educator using a research-based curriculum.
“This wasn’t just a business decision,” Misty said. “Even down to the colors on the wall, we were intentional. I researched color psychology to create a space that’s calming and inviting.”
They’re already seeing the fruits of their labor.
Parents form friendships over lattes, children meet developmental milestones, and families find support in each other.
“One day I looked up and saw three moms chatting like lifelong friends,” Misty said. “I asked how they knew each other, and they said, ‘We met here.’ That’s what it’s all about.”
Corey, now working full-time in insurance, handles back-end operations while Misty manages the daily bustle at the play place.
“People say there’s nothing to do here for families, and we’re answering that,” Corey said. “We want to be a place where families can connect, where kids thrive, and where parents don’t feel so alone.”
Looking back on the last few years, they don’t see tragedy but transformation.
“Our faith is stronger than ever,” Corey said. “You don’t see the end when you’re in it. But when you get through it, you realize it was worth it.”
Their message to others facing trials?
“Just keep going,” Corey said. “The most meaningful things in life are never easy. But if you hold on and stay persistent, you’ll make it through. We’re living proof.” GN
