Kit-n-Kaboodle Cat Cafe by Kit-n-Kaboodle Cat Cafe

Campaign extended! Our deadline has passed but you can still help. ✕

Kit-n-Kaboodle Cat Cafe

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By Kit-n-Kaboodle Cat Cafe

Organization campaign Swansboro, US Report

As a military family, we have traveled all over the United States and Asia. My husband served 30 years in the Marine Corps and during that time, we lived overseas for a combined total of more than 12 years. We have lived in Swansboro/Jacksonville, NC area for well over 15 years and enjoy calling the Crystal Coast home.

My first visit to a Cat Cafe was in Okinawa, Japan. It was an amazing experience and I always imagined opening my own... There are a growing number of cat cafes in the United States, but none in Jacksonville—until now. That's where we come in!

Me, in Japan, at my very first cat cafe experience!

We are excited to bring the magic of a cat cafe to Jacksonville, NC, with your help! We think it's time we have our very own cat cafe!

Our main goal is to help more cats find their furr-ever families. We will be fostering cats available for adoption, and providing space for them to socialize with our guests in a cozy, laid-back environment. We also plan to host events in the cafe like painting parties, wine tasting night, cat yoga, bingo, trivia and more!

With your help, our cat cafe will be a platform for giving back and empowering our local community for many years to come. We partner with local rescues to find loving homes for cats in need. By bringing these last-chance cats into our cat cafe, free from the stressful environment of a traditional shelter, we’re able to bring out their best colors and market them in a unique and special way that increases adoption rates and saves lives.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Great question! The cafe cats will stay in the "Cat Lounge" that will be entirely separate from the food and drink service area. You will have the chance to meet 15-25 adoptable friends from our community rescue partners. Our cats reside in the cozy cat lounge, a home-like environment to give them an enriching temporary home while they wait for their forever families. Admission to the cat lounge will be by reservation or walk-in, but reservations are recommended to ensure availability. Cat lounge occupancy will be limited to 10 people to ensure a comfortable environment for the cats and you.

Separate from the cat lounge, and totally free to visit, you’ll find our relaxing and welcoming cafe. Our menu will offer your favorite coffee shop beverages and eats, including vegan and kid-friendly options, and a local craft beer and wine selection for adult patrons. Even though the cafe is separate from the lounge, the open glass wall will bring you wonderful views of our feline friends.

What are the costs involved in opening a cat cafe?

The startup costs associated with opening a cat cafe business are substantial. Some of the more sizable expenses include:

Purchasing or leasing a space for the cat cafe
Building out the space so that it’s feline-friendly
Getting a Point-of-Sale system for selling your cafe products
Buying food preparation equipment for making food and drinks
Buying cat pods, litter boxes, food and water dishes, food and litter
Buying the ingredients for preparing customers’ food and beverages

What are the ongoing expenses for a cat cafe?

The ongoing expenses of a cat cafe business are substantial. They include rent, utilities, food costs, employees’ wages and all the expenses that come with caring for cats.

Who is the target market?

The target market of a cat cafe business is people who love cats. Cat lovers may come for a variety of reasons:

To spend time with cats if they themselves don’t have one
To hang out with friends in a fun environment
To support a shelter they believe in

We feel that having several military bases in the area is a great target market. We feel this will generate a lot of service members to visit who cannot have pets in the barracks. We believe this is a wonderful way for relaxation, a positive outlet, and maybe a little taste of home for some.

How does a cat cafe make money?

Cat cafe businesses make money two ways. They charge customers by the hour for the time that customers spend with cats, and they charge customers for the food and beverages they order.

Customers who adopt cats typically pay an adoption fee, but businesses don’t usually make money off of this fee. Instead, it simply helps cover necessary veterinary care, food, litter and similar expenses.

How much profit can a cat cafe make?

When located in a popular area, a cat cafe business can bring in a significant revenue. Even at $7 per person, just 10 visitors can generate $70 in an hour. At $20 per hour, the revenue increases to $200 per hour with 10 visitors. Moreover, a cafe can often hold more than 10 visitors.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Once established, a cat cafe business can increase its revenue by hosting events. Events often draw lots of people in, and a business can charge more for each person because there's a special event taking place.

Risks and challenges

The biggest risk is obviously funding this kickstarter - if we don't meet our goal, we don't get any of the money. So, that would set back our opening date by quite a bit (maybe a year or more). But we are confident that won't happen! We have an amazing community behind us and can't wait to open our doors to Jacksonville. We also anticipate a challenge when it comes to securing a location for the cafe. Commercial space goes quick in this area, so we will need to act fast to secure a lease in a prime location. We hope to close on a lease as quickly as possible so we can begin renovations, get the cats moved in, and open by early of 2023, if not sooner! The good news: Cat cafes tend to rely on a reservation system, since they get busy fast. We are expecting our biggest challenge to be accommodating all of our guests, not convincing them to visit. This means we will begin taking reservations before our opening date and give some of our kickstarter backers early dibs (check tiers for more info). We can't wait to start hosting events and giving back to the community, with what we hope are minimal risks after the initial opening of the cat cafe. Your support means the world, thank you so much and we will see you soon!!!