About Genius Gems

OUR STORY

Jennifer
In 2013, the idea for Genius Gems was born in a cramped NYC apartment. Founder Jennifer Romanoff, Ed.M., was watching her husband and their two boys building with magnetic tiles. She reminded her husband that he would be late for work again—that is, unless he wanted to quit his job and play with magnetic tiles instead. They both had a good laugh. And that is how the idea was born.

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

Uniquely, the Genius Gems experience changes with each visit, which is why so many of our customers come back again and again, and become superfans.

At Genius Gems, we believe passionately in learning through play. Everything we do is about hands-on creativity, interacting with peers, critical thinking, and having fun.

We are inspired in what we do by the work of MIT Media Lab Professor Mitchell Resnick. Dr. Resnick argues that in the future, the world will need more designers, thinkers, and innovators. And to meet that challenge, Dr. Resnick says, we need a learning environment centered around the 4 P's - projects, passion, peers, and play.

That is exactly what we do at Genius Gems. Our classes and camps feature a STEM and STEAM-focused curriculum developed by an experienced educator. So there is always something being invented, discovered or created in our space.

OPEN TO EVERYONE

According to Dr. Stuart Brown, a play researcher, plenty of play in childhood makes for happy, smart adults--and keeping it up can make us smarter at any age. We agree.

That is why magnetic tiles are often at the center of what we do. Magnetic tiles have an amazing ability to spark the imagination of people of every age and background.

Above all, we love that that everyone, from dads and daughters, to brothers and sisters, can all enjoy magnetic tiles together. Celebrating that togetherness, and embracing that diversity, is in the very nature of what we do.

OUR FOCUS IS ON YOU

We know your time is valuable, and we strive to make every aspect of your experience with us positive and fulfilling. We welcome your feedback and ideas!

GENIUS GEMS NYC

We are thrilled that our flagship location opened in NYC in February 2023! Please join our special mailing list for updates and special promotions. Thank you so much for helping us reach this amazing milestone.  We can't wait for you to join us to unleash the creativity and indomitable spirit of NYC!