I am most fortunate to live in a neighborhood with lots of interesting and independent (or small local chain-lets) shops. We have our very own drugstore that's not a CVS. We have our very own hardware store that's not a Home Depot. We have lots of little gifty stores. Clothing stores where I, as a non-twenty-something who doesn't wear a size zero, do not shop. But nonetheless. We have a couple of antique stores. A couple of picture frameries. The requisite nail salons. A chocolatier. Etc. And restaurants that aren't chains.
All mostly charming and pricey.
Just the sort of shopping one might expect in a neighborhood that's mostly charming and pricey.
In the last couple of years, we've lost a couple of my favorites. The wonderful Black Ink, a quirky little gift shop, is now online-only. And if I want to indulge my desire for some of the wondrous Fastachi roasted nuts, I have to order online or schlep over to Watertown. (Come to think of it, schlepping over to Watertown would make a good nice day walk. Load up on nuts and Uber back.)
But hope always springs eternal when it comes to someone figuring out what to do with an empty storefront.
Last year, a young woman opened a charcuterie shop, selling custom charcuterie boards. I must admit, I'm amazed that this store is still in business, but maybe it's not actually an authentically going concerned. (When it opened, I figured it was either mummy-daddy money, or something to put on the B-school application. What I learned by establishing a fancy cured meat shop that never turned a profit. Those both may still obtain, but damned if that shop isn't there. So much for all the young folks becoming vegans.)
And a couple of fancy little children's shops have opened. Is there enough demand for $150 infant sweaters, or carefully curated book collections for toddlers? Remains to be seen.
Anyway, what's now in the works is a cat café.
Brittany Baker, a resident of Beacon Hill since 2014 who has extensive previous experience working in bookstores and cafes and has also volunteered for the last 10 years as a “feline behavior” specialist with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, said A Sanctuary Café would comprise three components – a café, a bookstore, and a “cat lounge.” (Source: Beacon Hill Times - of course we have our own charming and non-pricey (in fact, free) little newspaper.
Admittedly, I am not a cat person, but I can imagine that, if I were, I might want to bring my kitty out for a play date. The same as if I did have a doggie, I'd bring them out to the Boston Common during the morning and afternoon meetups of dog people. Or to the spring and summer Yappier Hours at the Liberty Hotel, where folks bring there pooches to a happy hour where the humans have a drink and the doggies just get to run around sniffing each others' butts and being happy.
So, while I don't think cats aren't social in the same way dogs are, I can imagine cat people bringing their kitties out, if only so the humans could socialize with fellow cat people.
But I'm not sure whether that's what the cat café has in mind.
As far as I gather, there'll be a micro-bookstore. And a café serving coffee and baked goods. These spaces will be separated out "to appeal to patrons who aren’t fond of cats, or are allergic to them." Although why anyone who isn't fond of cats, let alone allergic to them, would be doing there...
The good news:
Cats would also not be allowed in any areas where food and drink are prepared, and all food would come from an outside vendor.
Then there are a couple of cat lounge spaces, where the "resident cats" are provided with a comfy environment where they can chill. But, unlike in many other cat cafes, the kitties aren't up for adoption. And, according to the article, "patrons
Huh?
I guess this is a cat café norm, but, there's actually a world where people would pay an expected $30/hour to hang around a cat lounge with the ten "resident cats." Sure, the cats are curated, or whatever the term is for "selected for compatibility." So there shouldn't be any cat fights.
But are there really people who'd pay to hang around with a bunch of cats.
The cat lounge space would require reservations to keep the cat-to-human ratio “appropriate,” said Baker, while reservations would be staggered (every 15 minutes) to ensure there are no queues on the sidewalk waiting to get inside.
Maybe it's just me, but I can't anticipate people, no matter how cat-crazy, queuing up "on the sidewalk waiting to get inside" to hang out with a bunch of strange cats.
I mean, I'd pay to hang out with a comfort dog whose head I could pat. But cats? Creeping around. Jumping all over things. Sure, they're beautiful to look at, but don't they say that what's going on in a cat's mind is trying to figure out how to kill you? Wouldn't you have to be some sort of masochist to pay to sit around with a bunch of animals plotting your demise?
Providing a sanctuary for unwanted animals is certainly an admirable endeavor. So good for Brittany Baker and her vision. But as a business proposition? In order to be happy, I don't imagine cats need to be in charming and pricey lounges on Beacon Hill. Are there really enough people who'll pay $30/hour so that ten curated cats have a swank place where they can sharpen their claws.
Also: for those who just want to shop in a micro-bookstore, or have a nice cup of coffee and a scone, how will this place NOT smell of cat?
But I didn't think the charcuterie place would last as long as it has, so what do I know?
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That picture is of a cat café in Russia. The people may have grim lives, but I guess the cats live okay.
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