The Calico Cat Cafe opens for business in Oaklyn on Wednesday October 1st, offering both a comfortable Cafe (with a ramen “bar” and locally roasted coffee) as well as a cat lounge where you can hangout with the adorable cats in a really cool play area!
And maybe you’ll find yourself taking a cat home in an adoption!
I stopped in today for the “day before” preview and to catch up with owners Ben and Dora who gave me the full Calico Cat Cafe experience… a space which they have fully remodeled themselves with the loving creative assistance of the appreciative local cat community.
Together the extended team has created a cafe that feels comfortable and inviting… with a big dose of local character and retro stylings in the mix! Comfort, Character, Community, Coffee and Cats… Cool!
And throughout the cafe they and the Cat Community have adorned the walls and ceiling with a variety of custom artwork which liven up the cafe, and give you something new to notice every time you return.
Calico Cat Cafe is located at 919 White Horse Pike in Oaklyn, New Jersey.. situated on the block between the new Super Wawa and the Ritz Theater. (A Nifty Fifties restaurant was approved for across the street!)
The Calico Cat Cafe unit is on the right side of the building featuring full-height (wraparound) front glass windows which open up the entire space to the outside.
Just a friendly caution… Dora reminds customers “Please don’t bring your cats to the cafe. We can not have your cats in the Cafe or Lounge. The focus at Calico Cat Cafe is on our lounge cats, and finding them loving homes!”
Cafe And Cats – Cohesively
I don’t think I’ve ever visited a cat cafe before so I’m far from an expert… but it seems Ben and Dora have created a very smart and unique design which allows them to keep the cafe dining aspects completely separate from the cat lounge area… but at the same time still very connected.
And both the cats and the humans get to take advantage of the front windows!
To support the two distinct areas, the partners created a divider wall down the center of the unit, positioning the cafe on the leftmost portion (where you enter), and the cat lounge on the right half.
Windows installed within the dividing wall allow you to casually pop into the cafe for a quick bite to eat or a delicious cup of coffee and check in on the cats without actually heading into the cat lounge area.
And if you are interested in spending some time with the cats inside their playground Lounge, there is a small fee which helps cover the costs and care of the cats… which are provided by Blackwood’s Homeward Bound.
When you head into the Cat Lounge, there is a small vestibule area where you’ll be asked either remove your shoes or put on a protective shoe covering… this is all part of their efforts to keep the Cat World out of the Cafe.
Calico Cat – Cafe
The cafe will be open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m with a midday break from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. where the staff will clean up the space and give the cats a little bit of a break.
To be very clear you can stop in at Calico Cat Cafe again and again without venturing into the Cat Lounge area… the main entrance from the sidewalk leads you right into the cafe area with its delicious local coffees, make-your-own Ramen soup and even baked treats including cat shaped cake pops and cupcakes!
For seating there’s a variety of tables in the large cafe space where you can comfortably hang out with you laptop, or keep tabs on the cats through the windows installed in the divider wall.
Wanting to make Calico Cat Cafe a space for the community, Dora says they will have board games on hand and other activities.
My prior visit was during the early stages of the remodeling and now that everything is complete and put in its proper place… the cafe is actually a somewhat large size with plenty of room for customers coming in and leaving, as well as a variety of tables for four and two persons.
Coffee will be sourced from local retailers with Black Lotus, Revolution, and Ren’s as the first three brands that they’ll be offering in rotation over the next few weeks.
Calico Cat – Lounge
The Cat Lounge is not as large as the cafe side but it’s still a fairly big space for the cats, of which there were eight on hand for my preview visit!
The cats looked incredibly comfortable and at home amongst the large variety of cat seating areas, which includes couches and benches on the ground… to raised perches high up above the floor.
I make no guarantees but these were the most friendly, playful and loving cats I’ve ever been around… all eight of them! As I walked in the space and sat down, there a steady stream of playful cats coming over to say hi to me!
Cats being inquisitive creatures, one of them positioned themselves in one of those higher lounge spots positioned close to the dividing windows to see what’s going on in the cafe. “Who’s watching who?”
Another really smart idea that Ben and Dora came up with is to keep the kitty litter further away from both the cafe and lounge by creating a small tunnel at the back of the Cat Lounge which leads to a different room at the back of the unit…. the “business” office, so to speak.
Dora says the cat’s instantly figured out how to use that tunnel and during my visit there was no hint of litter box or cats at all.. and quite honestly I’m more of dog person with a mild cat allergy so I would have noticed!
I mentioned there was artwork in a variety of places throughout the cafe and the Cat Lounge seems to have been big focus for the local artists… everything was impressive, but then more than a few pieces absolutely were “wow”.
As I exited the Cat Lounge area and entered back into the cafe.. we heard a distinct “meeeoooowwww”. Awe, the missed me!
Links and Location
Calico Cat Cafe – Coming Soon Early September919 White Horse PikeOaklyn, NJ
(609) 608-6518