By Amy Zimmer
DNAinfo News Editor
YORKVILLE — Michelle McEnroe sometimes goes to Carl Schurz Park to hand out fliers for the restaurant she manages, Yorkville Creperie.
That's where she finds lots of moms. The nearly two-year-old restaurant is angling to appeal to the area's growing number of families.
Yorkville Creperie likes kids so much that it's dedicating this month to them, giving over its walls — usually filled with works by local artists — to the children the neighborhood is teeming with.
The eatery at 1586 York Ave. near East 84th Street is holding its first annual "Young Artists on the Upper East Side" art exhibit on Monday, displaying the works of more than 40 budding Picassos.
The stroller set has taken notice of the creperie, McEnroe said.
"Right down on East End Avenue, it's carriage after carriage. All the moms seem to know each other from the park and gym, so it's word-of mouth."
Maureen La Clair, the event planner of the creperie and its neighboring bar, the Saloon, said the store is family-friendly.
"The food is a little exotic, but still very simple," she said.
As she noticed more families, La Clair began scheduling events for them, including story time for babies up to 4 years old on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"The art show is a way to give back and get people involved," La Clair said.
The bar had previously used the restaurant's space for private parties but when the new owners — including McEnroe's son — took over nearly two years ago, they decided to open a cafe there that soon grew into a destination for neighborhood kids. Now, Saloon's space is used during the day to store strollers for customers.
Besides tots, older kids come, too, especially girls from Chapin, which is around the corner on East End Avenue, La Clair said.
Justine Hoagland, 31, lives in the East 60s but brings her 9-month-old, Hunter, to the Yorkville Creperie every Friday with other moms and tots after a baby swim class at the nearby Asphalt Green.
"It's a great place to bring kids. [McEnroe] is always giving him snacks — healthy stuff, like bananas," said Hoagland.
She is contemplating a move to the area as her family outgrows their one-bedroom apartment. "It's a possibility," she said, "because apparently the schools are good."
Yorkville, which stretches from East 72nd to East 96th streets from the East River to Third Avenue, has seen an explosion in young families in recent years.
Though the 2010 Census data for kids is not yet available, the most recent 3-year estimate from the Census showed that the number children under 5 years old on the Upper East Side increased by a whopping 37 percent since 2000.
The area's schools have been feeling the crunch. The incoming kindergarten class on the Upper East Side increased 34 percent from 2006 to 2010, from 637 to 851 students, said Eric Greenleaf, a member of District 2's Community Education Council said. He projected that the area will need 800 more seats by 2014.
The Yorkville Creperie will select eight winners from the two-day kids' art show. Their work will be on display for the rest of the month. The restaurant is also launching a kids' menu next week with grilled cheese, mini crepes, pita pizzas and cereal, McEnroe said.
La Clair will still keep crayons and paper around for budding artists even after the kids' art show ends.
"It keeps them so much more entertained," she said.
The Yorkville Creperie's first annual student art exhibit, "Young Artists on the Upper East Side," opens Monday, June 13, 3:30 - 8:00 p.m., 1584 York Ave.
