I’ve been at a trade event for the aviation industry for the past couple of days. You might be wondering, what exactly does the aviation industry have to do with The Cat Cafe?

That’s a good question. I’m happy to answer it.

I’m sure everyone knows San Diego is a very popular city for tourists to visit. And it only makes sense. With our almost always gorgeous weather, attractions like the San Diego Zoo, and our world famous beaches, whatever the time of year, people like to visit.

Someone has to get them there. And a lot of the people who get them there are the ones who either fly them there or make sure they’re taken care of en route.

Having the airport so close to downtown San Diego has its upsides and downsides. The downside, especially for those living near the flight path, is the airplane noise. The upside, from the perspective of The Cat Cafe, is having a lot of pilots and flight attendants staying in downtown hotels.

And having the opportunity to introduce them to the concept of The Cat Cafe is a good way to create additional customers, who also can help spread the word within the aviation community.

For the past two days, I’ve been in Las Vegas, meeting with pilots and flight attendants from many of the airlines that take you around the world. I’ve had the opportunity to explain to them what The Cat Cafe will offer and why it’s worth stopping in. Sure, they can get their coffee from the hotel or the chain coffee shops nearby. But if they want to enjoy a locally roasted coffee and get to play with animals when they miss their pets, why not?

And that is the reaction I’ve gotten. They’re excited about the concept, and they’re happy that they’re going to have the chance to show their colleagues something new and interesting during their next trip to San Diego.

If you’ve been following The Cat Cafe since the beginning, you know that we did a crowd funding campaign to get the funds we needed to open. We didn’t hit our goal, but the money that we got from the crowd funding was enough to fund getting the needed permits and the build out of the facility.

One of the perks we offered those who contributed over a certain amount was a private party for themselves and ten of their friends before we officially open. Who wouldn’t like to get a behind the scenes look at a place before it was open to the public? Of course that’s a fun thing.

And while that’s definitely something The Cat Cafe was prepared to do, the generous contributor who was entitled to that perk said it wasn’t needed.

When I wrote to this contributor to set up a time for the pre-opening party, this is what I got back:

Hi Tony!

I’m so happy that you’re almost there!! 

I was happy to contribute and, to be honest, I don’t want you expending any extra money or effort into a party.  Unless you’re planning to do some kind of press for advertising, I’d be more than happy to meet you and the cats and you can spot me a nice cup of Joe 🙂

You hear all the time about customers who feel like their purchase entitles them to treatment far beyond the ordinary, and who are, to be blunt, real jerks about it.

If this person is typical of the people who will become customers of The Cat Cafe, I don’t think that’s something we have to worry about.

Speaking of perks, by now, all of you who contributed and selected a mug as your perk should have received them. If you haven’t, let me know and I’ll start the trace so that you get one.

Thanks for everything!

Hi, everyone! I wanted to keep you up to date on what is going on here at The Cat Cafe.

First, I want to thank everyone who’s been inquiring about The Cat Cafe and what is happening. A number of you have asked when we will open, what our hours will be, and so on.

Now that I have the needed permits in hand and have taken possession of the space, I can give you more details on what’s going on.

The plan is to have a soft open for The Cat Cafe sometime the week of October 27. There will be a private event for one of the contributors to the crowd funding campaign we ran this spring, which will give us a chance to work on making sure everything is ready for when we open to the public.

Then we’ll have a launch party the weekend of November 1, where our partner agency, the media, and other notables will be present. After that, we’ll open our doors for real.

As far as hours go, The Cat Cafe will be initially be open from 7 AM until 3 PM seven days a week. I’ve had a number of people ask if we could open during the evening, and the answer to that question is we’ll see. If there is enough demand to justify it financially, then I’ll extend the hours.

But for now, I want to make sure that we don’t overextend ourselves and that I don’t get too ambitious too soon.

I know that it’s been a long time and that many of you have been waiting patiently for a while now. I’m going to ask you to bear with me just a little longer because The Cat Cafe will be open before you know it!

Thanks for your continued support. I’m looking forward to saying hello to you in person!