Context: The above video was first published on Nov. 6, 2023.
TOPEKA (KSNT) - A first-of-its kind cat-themed café in Topeka is set to open this summer, after months of anticipation among locals.
KSNT 27 News spoke with April Liang and Toni Fowler, co-owners of the Topeka Cat Café, on May 24 to learn how their business is coming along. They shared initial details on the café in an interview with 27 News back in November 2023.
Now, Liang and Fowler's plans have become much more concrete as the City of Topeka has signed off on a permit for changes to be made at a building in south Topeka to house the cats.
The Topeka Cat Café will mix together food, drinks and cats under one roof for people to stop by and relax. The business will be separated into sections with one dedicated to housing space for adults cats and another for kittens. The primary section will be set aside for people entering the business who want to buy something to eat or drink.
"Really, we're trying to create an experience where people can be relaxed and lounge around with the cats," Fowler said.
Customers will be able to meet and play with resident cats, many provided through partnerships with local animal refuges like Team Kitten, by making reservations ahead of time for 50-minute time blocks. People can still enter the business without a reservation but will only be allowed into the cat section if there are free openings. The main objective is to help the resident cats get adopted into loving homes.
"The main point is to help the cats and that's what we plan to do," Fowler said.
The women are shooting for an opening date for their café in late July or August of 2024. However, the pair are staying on their toes as they encounter challenges and possible changes which could shift the opening day around.
"If we're optimistic, it'll be sometime in July, but we'll see what happens," Fowler said.
Liang said they plan to offer guests pre-packaged food and drinks like bottled iced tea and frappuccinos initially while they work to get their kitchen up and running. They will also be partnering with Dialogue Coffee to offer other options to customers. Other cat-themed merchandise like t-shirts and toys will also be offered on location.
Trying to find the right place to house the café has been one of the most challenging aspects of this journey for Liang and Fowler. Despite all the difficulties, they say the payoff has been well worth it.
"There was a couple real estate agents in charge of the properties here who blew us off but we overcame that and found a real estate agent who believed in us," Liang said. "If it wasn't for our agent, helping us keep going, I don't know if we would've made it."
Another major roadblock for the pair came with getting official approval from the Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas Department of Health to open the café. While their business may be new to the Capital City, it isn't novel to the state of Kansas. Another local cat cafe can be found in Lawrence at Whiskers Cat Café & Coffeehouse. This helped out Fowler and Liang as others have already been through the process of receiving approval from the state to open.
Liang said construction and remodeling efforts are already underway for their café. Falk Architects, Murray and Sons and PKMR Engineers are helping the women's dream become a reality.
The pair plan to have the café open six days a week and be closed Tuesdays to give the cats time to recuperate. Exact hours have yet to be settled but will likely be put in place as the opening date gets closer.
"Just really excited to meet a lot of the people who have been following us on Facebook and cheering us on," Liang said.
If you want to contribute to the Topeka Cat Café's crowdfunding campaign, click here. If you're interested in finding a job at this business, click here.
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