Photo by Doris Metternich
It will still be several months before it opens, but Alexandria’s own cat café is a step closer to opening.
Mount Purrnon has signed a lease in Old Town Alexandria for the City’s first cat café – a place where people can work, eat and drink, plus pet and adopt cats. Mount Purrnon will open at 109 S. Alfred Street. An opening is planned for the spring of 2020.
Earlier this year in a Facebook post, founders Kristin Cowan and Adam Patterson explained the delay: “It’s taken awhile as most landlords aren’t thrilled about having a number of cats in their space but we have been working hard to try to show them that it is worth it!”
Now that a lease is in place, Mount Purrnon has to navigate permits and construction, which means an opening is still several months away.
The effort to bring a cat café to Alexandria started with a successful Kickstarter crowd funding campaign last spring. Originally aiming for a December 2018 opening, finding a location proved difficult for founders Kristin Cowan and Adam Patterson.
"Even if people aren't huge cat fans, they can still visit the cat café and grab a drink," Cowan said last year. "But, they will probably want to go into the cat room when they see how much fun it is." While people will not be able to bring in their own cats, there will be plenty in the cat room to visit (and adopt).
Mount Purrnon is currently looking for partnerships with businesses to sell wine, coffee, snacks and more. Interested companies can email mtpurrnoncats@gmail.com.
The region’s first cat café, Crumbs & Whiskers, opened on O Street NW in Georgetown. Crumbs & Whiskers is popular enough that the owners recommend making a reservation to get in.
Learn more about Mount Purrnon at www.mtpurrnoncatcafe.com.
