Lawrence’s new Espurresso Cat Café offers opportunity to chill with adoptable cats
Brittanie Sinisgalli and Mary Costello, meeting without outside investors for coffee. // Courtesy Espurresso Cat Café
Marketing maven Mary Costello and baker/barista extraordinaire Brittanie Sinisgalli are combining their prowess to start up a new cat café in Lawrence, called Espurresso, in partnership with the Lawrence Humane Society.
The two animal lovers and businesswomen have individually dreamed of opening a cat café for years, and when they met around a year ago, it was like they found the missing piece they needed for their grand plans, they say.
The two received the keys to the facility, located on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence, on Tuesday, April 4, and they’re working hard on construction in hopes of getting cats inside and the doors open by May.
Costello has worked in marketing for 17 years, and she previously spearheaded the Mass. Street Kitten Academy project in Lawrence, where she would show off her foster kittens in downtown Lawrence storefronts to expose them to potential adoptees.
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“I’d ask businesses if they would let me hijack their windows and I would do a themed display,” Costello says. “I started out with a miniature retro living room because it matched the store, which was vintage clothing. I think from there I did a farm and a jungle and the ocean and the beach. I did these cute, eye-catching designs and we would then place my foster kitten in them during a few hours during the day, on busier days downtown, and they got a lot of attention.”
The two are excited for their partnership with the Lawrence Humane Society. Not only do cat cafes offer relief to shelters, who often are strained for resources and space, but cat cafes also offer a relaxed environment for people to interact with adoptable cats.
A past foster kitten of Costello’s shows off in one of her storefront displays. // Courtesy photo by Mary Costello
“The shelter can be overwhelming for some people to go to,” says Costello. “I didn’t want to go there because I knew I would maybe get sad. [At cat cafes] it’s more spontaneous. We’ve had people cry on the spot, just who were walking by and were like, you know what, I wasn’t ready to adopt, and then this little face jumped out at me, and now I know I am ready.”
“I think a cat cafe kind of serves people who maybe aren’t necessarily looking rather than the people who will go to the shelter website or go to the shelter itself,” Costello continues. “I think we are able to reach those people in a more natural, effortless way.”
“Also, with cat cafes, you have all the enrichment, and you have all the space, so the cats are kind of able to showcase their personalities a little better,” Sinisgalli adds. “People can imagine this cat in their home a little easier than when you go to the shelter and the cats are in a smaller enclosure and maybe not jumping around.”
The two had to submit two different layout designs for the new space to the Kansas Department of Agriculture before being approved for construction, they say. The rules can get hairy (furry?) when both food and animals are involved in the same business space. However, the long planning process will be worth it for cats and visitors alike.
Costello describes what future visitors can expect of the space: “We’re building a cat enclosure, so the cats will be separate from the café, but it’ll be one space. The enclosure is going to be built primarily with plexiglass, so you’ll walk through one set of doors to go into the cafe or another set of doors to go into what we’re calling the Purrlor.”
The new space in progress. // Courtesy photo by Mary Costello
“You can get your drinks or snacks and you can take it into the cat enclosure and hang out with them, or if you don’t want to have the cats crawling all over you, you can just sit in the cafe space and kind of watch all the action,” Costello says.
Though this is a long-time dream and a labor of love for the pair, they say that the construction costs have been surprising. They are primarily funding this project through a Kickstarter campaign, which still runs for four more days before shutting down. Different donation levels allow you to have your name displayed at the café on a founder’s plaque, name a menu item, or even name a kitty staying at the café.
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“We have a tier on our Kickstarter where people can name a drink,” Sinisgalli says. “I’ve been waiting [to develop] specialty drinks until we get those folks in. Aside from that, we’ve prepared a traditional menu with coffees, teas, flavored drinks, and lemonade.”
“When I did the farmers market, we had a lavender lemonade that was extremely popular, so I’m sure we’ll bring that to the table as well,” Sinisgalli says. “But the more creative drinks will come from meeting these people who want to name a drink after a beloved pet or someone who inspires them. I had a friend who was considering sponsoring at that level, and she had a cat named Sapphire and wanted to do something with blueberries. So, I’m waiting to see what some people might come up with and kind of play off of their ideas.”
Another adoptable feline hangs out in one of Costello’s downtown Lawrence storefronts. // Photo by Mary Costello
Costello is a vegan, so it was also important for the pair to develop a menu that includes vegan options.
“We’re trying to think of our vegan friends as well,” Sinisgalli adds. “It’s been new for me, because I don’t typically bake vegan, but some of the things that I thought might have been really hard about baking vegan have not been difficult at all.”
Aside from donating to the Kickstarter campaign, Costello and Sinisgalli say other ways we can support their new cat café include spreading the word to friends and family by word-of-mouth or via social media. Espurresso Cat Café has a presence on Facebook and Instagram.
Otherwise, stopping in for a hand-crafted drink or a homemade pastry is a great way to show support, and to treat yourself, too. Costello and Sinisgalli are proud not to charge a cover fee to enter the café.
