Atlanta’s cat and coffee lovers will soon have another reason to celebrate. One cat cafe is already planned for the city, and now another is well in the works. Hadyn Hilton hopes to open her cafe this coming summer or fall, and she’s launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the venture. Hilton tells Eater Atlanta she’s eyeing Midtown, Virginia-Highland, and also “the area around Ponce City Market” as possible destinations.
As of this posting, Hilton already has raised more than $4,700 from a total of 49 backers, and there’s more than a month left to fund the campaign. Donation options range from just $10, which will get an individual’s name on the cafe’s “scratching post wall of fame” in 18 point font, up to $1,000, which comes with a free cup of coffee upon every visit to the cafe, a behind-the-scenes tour, access to exclusive events, and several other perks.
Hilton is going to be partnering with no-kill shelter Paws Atlanta, and she’ll foster up to 20 cats at a time at the cafe. All of them will be available for adoption. To enter the cafe’s “cat room,” patrons will pay a small fee, which will include a cup of specialty coffee and an hour with the cats. Coffee and cafe items also then will be available without the purchase of the cat lounge access. The cat room will be separate from the cafe proper to comply with health department regulations.
The cafe will serve pre-packaged food products from The Gathering Industries, which is a non-profit that works with current residences from the Atlanta Mission and equips them with culinary skills.
Hilton initially planned to call her venture Catlanta Cafe, but has backed off that idea to avoid stepping on the toes of a beloved local artist. Instead, she’ll hold a contest and take suggestions to come up with the name.
A cat cafe is exactly what it sounds like: a normal coffee shop with the added bonus of a bunch of sweet, cuddly cats hanging out. Standard practice calls for the cats to be available for adoption, so if a patron falls in love, they can take home a new companion. While there isn’t a cafe currently serving feline fans within the Atlanta city limits area, La Maison du Chat, which partners with the CatRangers shelter, is up and running in Buford.
To keep up with all of Hilton’s progress, follow her venture on Facebook.
