01/13/2025
Thank you, Iowa City Press-Citizen!
Iowa City's new and innovative Kitty Corner Social Club is partially dedicated to CEO and founder Katy Brown's mother, not because her mother loved cats, but quite the opposite.
For 40 years, Brown believed she was allergic to cats but desperately wanted one. After hundreds of dollars spent on hypoallergic breeds and her mother's passing, she discovered that she was, in fact, not allergic."(My mom) just didn't like cats and want them in her house," Brown said.
The Kitty Corner Social Club is the latest development to come to the downtown Iowa City corridor at 20 S. Clinton St. near The Airliner and Cortado Mediterranean Café.
The club will open in mid-February with a yet-to-be-determined grand opening date."This is about much more than cats," Brown said. "It's the vehicle to connect, heal, support, and plant seeds of hope in a time when many of us want to close ourselves off from the world as a means of survival."
Brown has four cats − Spike, Fern, Pearl, and Monsieur Bisou (Mister Kisses) − and two dogs − Gordie and Tammy.
The idea of the cat café started while Brown was on a trip to Paris with her daughter. She told her daughter they needed another family cat with a specific name and look. The cat would be called Monsieur Bisou and would have a mustache. Brown's daughter was initially against it, saying, "Dad doesn't want another cat."
After dinner, they wandered around the city and stumbled upon a cat café, where the image of Monsieur Bisou was sitting in the window. Finally, two days later, the two snagged a reservation, which spurred an even bigger idea."The moment we stepped in there, I knew that it was something our community needed," Brown said. "It was like seeing a pair of shoes and being like, 'Oh, yes, of course, I need those shoes.'"
Brown's son suggested they start a cat café in Iowa City and they started figuring out how to make it happen.
Brown and her son toured cat cafes across the country, including two in Washington, D.C. and Coffee Cats Café in the historic Valley Junction neighborhood in West Des Moines.They talked with the owners about logistics and what it takes to open a similar concept, like dealing with the state health department.
"When we left, I was like, there's no way we can do this in Iowa City; there's just no commercial space available. Starting a business is difficult; starting a business in downtown Iowa City is almost impossible. I have fierce advocates," Brown said. "(After the trip to D.C.), we refined the business plan, and I started passing my business plan around to my mentors and former colleagues…it was like getting the band back together to build magic."
Unlike Coffee Cats Café, Kitty Corner Social Club won't serve food and beverages. The space is designed to be a destination where people can recharge and connect with cats available for adoption.
The cafe has partnered with Iowa City Animal Care And Adoption Center and the University of Iowa's Entrepreneurial Certificate Program, meaning the lounge will employ students in need of an entrepreneurial certificate.
Kitty Corner Social Club guests can enjoy 15-minute, 30-minute, or 60-minute visits ranging from $11 to $22.
The cafe will also offer a membership program for peak hours and frequent visitors.
The business will offer free self-service beverages for water and tea, creating a clean and safe environment for the cats.
The establishment is designed with the best interest of cats in mind, from scratch-proof furniture and other precautions.
Brown plans to implement sustainable business practices and make it ADA-accessible.
"It's creating more of a community space for people to gather, to feel safe, to feel welcome, to host events to come for yoga, some healing sessions," Brown said. "There are a lot of incredible makers in our community that don't have a space; I'm just creating a really beautiful space for people to do that in the presence of cats, which, to me, there is no negative about this, maybe just the smell of tuna."
Brown hopes that Kitty Corner Social Club also provides college students and families with another activity downtown, whether for mental health respite or to interact with cats before adopting a forever friend.
Kitty Corner Social Club's partnership with the Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center will give guests plenty of friends to hang with. Volunteer shelter coordinator Jen Read said the new cafe should help the cats get adopted into loving homes, allowing them to show off their true personalities.
The shelter has plenty of animals ready for adoption, which has put stress on their limited space. "Right now, we have 114 cats in the building, 33 kittens, and a few adults in foster care, overseeing any needs those cats have," Read said. "We have cats coming out of everywhere. They're taking up dog spaces; they're taking up critter spaces. Half of those 33 kittens are surgery-ready to go up for adoption, but I don't have space for them to bring them back, even from foster care. I'm excited about the partnership, it will open up more space for us and get more adoptions."
Brown said they plan to host special events like cat yoga, movie and trivia nights, happy hours, and art workshops. Kitty Corner Social Club will also sell repurposed, vintage and new merch in addition to cat goods and local products.
Brown initially said the club dealt with pushback on Reddit. But, she said her inspiration is to provide an interactive community space while maintaining a historic downtown building.
The location at 20 S. Clinton St. is owned by Sarah Belle, widow of the late Haywood Belle. Haywood's family was a multigenerational entrepreneurial family in Iowa City, the first black family in Iowa City to own real estate.
"Iowa City is an inclusive, vibrant community that deserves more than another v**e shop or nasty political sign in a formally beautiful building," Brown said. "We deserve a welcoming, joy-filled, buzzing economic center where people gather in joy, play, and for everyday reasons. For decades, entrepreneurs have made that magic happen in these historic buildings. I am choosing to join those makers and creators."
Operating hours have yet to be established. Guests can keep up with Kitty Corner Social Club on social media for more updates.
Source: https://www.press-citizen.com/story/entertainment/go-iowa-city/2025/01/13/kitty-corner-social-club-opens-in-downtown-iowa-city-corridor-in-february-iowa-city-animal-care/77551512007/
