A new coffee shop — with both humans and cats on staff — is coming to Grand Avenue.

Vanessa Beardsley sits in the future home of Catzen Coffee Bar and Den, a cat cafe she plans to open in fall 2024, on Feb. 7, 2024. The business, which will house cats as permanent residents — unlike other cat cafes, where cats are up for adoption — is located on Grand Avenue in Mac-Groveland. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

Catzen Coffee Bar and Den is set to open this fall with both a cafe and a “den” where customers can hang out and enjoy coffee and snacks with the shop’s resident cats.

The cafe will be at 1416 Grand Ave. in Macalester-Groveland, in a building that had been previously subdivided into a chiropractor and hair salon. Catzen is taking over both halves of the space.

The building’s existing split is actually helpful, owner Vanessa Beardsley said, because health codes require separation between food service operations and animals. The cafe space on one side and the cat den on the other will each have their own HVAC and air filtration systems, she said.

At Catzen, cats in the den will be permanent residents. Unlike at some other cat cafes, like The Cafe Meow in Roseville and New Hope, the cats here will not be up for adoption. Beardsley wants to give the resident cats a permanent and stable home without the stress of introducing new animals, which, as cat owners know, can be a fraught process.

“We want the cats to be characters in the neighborhood,” said Beardsley, who, a few weeks ago, got the cafe’s logo tattooed on her inner forearm. “We’re going to have these characters living here, and hopefully people will get to know individual cats and want to come see them.”

As for the drinks, Beardsley plans to serve coffee and espresso beverages — she’s working with All Beans Considered, a consultancy run by local coffee expert Mary Hallbrooks — plus mocktails. Food-wise, the menu will consist mostly of affordable handheld breakfast and lunch snacks, including treats from nearby Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit, and ‘charCATerie’ boards.

And when it comes to the den, it’s all about being comfy and cozy. We can expect plenty of soft couches and chairs to relax with the cats, she said, plus a fireplace. There’ll also be wall furniture for cats to jump onto and lie on.

The cats will also have access to a private downstairs space where their food and litter boxes will be, as well as spots for them to go if they’re feeling overstimulated.

And in a classroom space on the cafe side, Beardsley hopes to offer public events — coffee tastings with Hallbrooks, maybe, or kids’ read-alouds — and host private groups like knitting circles and book clubs.

The vision for the business has been about a year in the making, she said.

“My first thought was, we all need a place to de-stress,” she said. “I decided to design what I would go to if I needed to decompress.”

Catzen is currently leasing the space from Rob Yang, who runs the local streetwear brand Phenom. Beardsley, who previously worked as an attorney, is in the process of purchasing the building, she said.

For now, Beardsley and Frances Brown, who will be the cafe’s manager, are spitballing ideas. Maybe they’ll fit the cats with collar cameras, so we can watch videos online of their nighttime exploits. Maybe they’ll offer matching snacks or drinks, one for a human and one for a cat.

“We’re having a real struggle because we want to just buy some kittens right now!” she said, laughing. “We’re probably not quite at that point yet.”

Catzen Coffee Bar & Den: Opening fall 2024 at 1416 Grand Ave.; catzencoffee.com

Related Articles

David Leventhal, longtime owner of Cecil’s Deli in Highland Park, dies at 85

Detroit-style, Sicilian, Roman: Thick-crust pizza is here to stay. Here’s where to find it.

10 St. Paul restaurants to offer ice bars this weekend

Popular Minneapolis restaurant Chimborazo is bringing Ecuadorian classics to new St. Paul spot

Smorgie’s, focusing on affordable comfort food, opens across from Xcel Energy Center