Left: The writer Izdihar Dabashi holding her newly adopted cat. Right: The storefront of Beans Cat Cafe, formerly Sexy Nails. Photo Credits: Izdihar Dabashi (left), Katie Hellmuth Martin (right).

Editor’s Note: This storefront, 325 Main Street, is in the Ritter Building, owned by Beacontie and photographer Frank Ritter. This location used to be Sexy Nails, the nail salon that many Beaconites went to regularly. In the middle of the shutdown, Sexy Nails left. A couple months later, rumors of the cat cafe started, and A Little Beacon Blog’s writer Izdihar Dabashi pursued the story, which you can read below.

Cats and Coffee… Hey All You Cool Cats and Kittens

Quarantine has been a whirlpool of Netflix binges, seemingly spontaneous pet adoptions, and baking addictions. A majority of us have fulfilled our destinies of becoming Betty Crockers or Crazy Cat Ladies. Personally, I have become a plant hoarder and while most of my plants are thriving, a few have crossed over to the great unknown. Maybe more than a few. At this point, I no longer need to eat or drink or sleep, I simply photosynthesize.

Izdihar’s newly adopted cat, Aladdin, striking the pose for the recent “adoption photo” post. Photo Credit: Izdihar Dabashi.

I will admit, I fell victim to the cute adoption posts posted all over my socials. I am now a proud aunt to a 6-month-old kitten. I love the little troublemaker so much, that I would love more little clumsy kittens teetering around my living room like the Rugrat toddlers. Sadly, there are far too many cons outweighing the pros on my list.

If you have also been thinking about adopting a cat or simply want an adorable cat to cuddle with, then you will be excited to hear about Beacon’s first-ever cat cafe, Beans Cat Cafe, a concept seemingly straight out of a dream (or nightmare for all you Tiger King fanatics). Beans Cat Cafe hopes to create an experience for people unable to welcome cats in their own homes perhaps due to living space restrictions, allergies, whatever the reason may be. New to the idea of cat cafes? They have been trending for a while now, and in 2018, there were 40 across the country, according to The Sauce.

Coming Soon-ish

Beans Cat Café plans to open on Main Street this October, and set a GoFundMe fundraiser to help make it happen. The actual opening date may be later in the year, because it takes a lot to open a business. Owners Jessica Cruz-Strika and Justin Strika were inspired by their own love for cats, and were introduced to the idea of a cat café through various articles. Both owners graduated from Highland and have maintained connections to the Beacon community. While Justin grew up in a cat household, Jessica became obsessed with cats after adopting her first cat, Luca, a few years ago and started regularly visiting Dutchess County SPCA (DCSPCA).

Luca, aka Bean, is credited with the origins of the name of their cat café. The day-to-day operations of the cat café will mainly be run by Jessica, who has experience in the food/beverage service industry, while Justin will continue to work as a Direct Support Person working for the Anderson Center for Autism.

How This Cat Café Will Work

When visitors enter Beans Cat Café, they will be greeted with the café side that includes baked goods from Frida’s Bakery and Café in Milton, NY, as well as a wide variety of beverages that will only be served in the café area. Guests who wish to include the cat lounge in the experience will be offered entrance through the partition walls for a small fee and are welcome to bring their food with them.

The cat lounge will have seating, board games, and up to 8 cats at a time that are all adoptable through Hudson Valley Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (HVARS) in Poughkeepsie. All portions of the adoption including the fee are exclusive to HVARS.

Beans Cat Café is currently completing construction in anticipation of their opening later this year. Currently, there is not a set date to open, but guests who have contributed to the business through GoFundMe and Bonfire will receive invitations for a soft opening. There are even Cat Café face masks for sale as part of the fundraiser. More information will hopefully become available as we approach the end of October.