Inspiring Conversations with Taura Byrd of Catfeine Cat Cafe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taura Byrd.

Hi Taura, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
We’re Curtis and Taura Byrd. Opening a Cat Cafe became a dream of ours in 2015 after watching an episode of Shark Tank. We love cats and have always been “crazy cat people”….but we had never heard of a cat cafe and fell completely in love with the concept! We immediately began researching and learning all that we could about cat cafes. We knew we wanted to do this, but it was scary and overwhelming and we didn’t even know where to start! The journey to open was long and hard and we faced many challenges along the way. From initial concept to actually opening took over two years! We finally opened our doors in April 2019 and have since found homes for almost 400 rescue cats. We are so proud of our mission and being a part of such a wonderful community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have faced and overcome many challenges! In the beginning, just trying to find someone that would lease a space to us was difficult. Cat Cafe’s are not a well-known or proven concept, and the idea of having 20 cats in a space isn’t something most landlords are jumping at the opportunity to do. Additionally, finding someone to insure us and navigating through health department and building codes requirements were all big challenges.

Once we finally got up and running things went well until Covid hit. We, like most other small businesses, struggled to keep the business open. We had to close our doors for two months, and then after re-opening for a few months, our landlord did not renew our lease and we were faced with relocating. In the end, it was a blessing in disguise as our new location is doing very well and we’re happier than ever!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Catfeine Cat Cafe operates as a foster home for rescue cats. We support local cat rescues to rehome cats that have come from shelters, strays and rehoming situations. We typically house 15-20 cats in our cat lounge. There is no pressure to adopt when you visit Catfeine. Finding homes for cats is part of our overall mission, but we also strive to provide a fun, relaxing and therapeutic experience for all cat lovers. We’re also an alternative for those that can’t have a pet at home. For those that are looking to adopt, it allows them the opportunity to interact with cats in a happy, clean and home-like environment. It gives them the chance to see the personality of the cats and find their purr-fect match. In addition to the cat lounge, we offer a cat-themed retail store where guests can purchase items such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, stickers and many other novelty cat items. We also have a self-serve coffee bar and a variety of drink and snack options.

We love what we do! We see the joy it brings to the people in our community, and we are proud to provide an outlet for cats in need.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
The health and well-being of the cats is what matters most. We want to find homes for as many cats as possible, but we also take pride in finding the right home for each kitty. We do this through extensive communication and a thorough application process.

Pricing:

• $10/hr for Cat Lounge Visit
• $3 coffee and espresso drinks
• $2-$4 soda and tea varieties
• $3-$4 baked goods

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.catfeine.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catfeinecatcafe/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catfeinecatcafe