Gem City Catfé: Dayton's Cat Café and Community Space
Created by Karin Gudal-Johnson
Gem City Catfé is a comfortable coffee house in Dayton, OH, home to adoptable rescue cats, with a community focus.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
VIP Party Date
over 6 years ago
– Fri, Nov 03, 2017 at 04:44:07 PM
Happy Friday friends!
We have some great news for you! We have a date for our VIP Party! After months of waiting, the time has come to open Dayton's cat café and celebrate this momentous occasion with all of you - our VIP Backers!
The date is Saturday, December 9th from 6 - 8 pm.
We sincerely hope all of you can attend. We understand it is difficult to buy a ticket to an event with an unknown date, and we did our very best to wait until we knew we could guarantee the date while still giving all of you at least one month of notice as promised. We appreciate that you were some of our main cheerleaders and supporters and want to celebrate with each of you.
If you are not able to make that date, we truly apologize and want to do as much as we can to provide a satisfactory alternative. We are happy to schedule a behind the scenes tour date with bakery goodies for those that can't attend. Or if you prefer, we are happy to issue refunds of varying levels, depending on which rewards you'd like to keep. If you can't attend, please contact me at [email protected] to speak more about what we can do instead.
Either way, please RSVP for yourself and your +1, which was included in your reward tier, so that we may plan our event accordingly!
You will be receiving a paper invitation in the mail as well but we wanted to get notice as quickly as possible to you. We will also be sending another email through Mailchimp to make sure we've reached everyone.
Details!
You will be the first to step foot in the Catfé! We'll have the cat lounge and coffee bar all set up, as well as the art gallery upstairs. You'll be free to explore at your leisure and meet the 12 cats in the lounge. If you're following online, you'll be able to meet Mr. Baby, Dahlia, and Wilpur and Meowrville Wright. We're excited to see who the other 8 cats will be as we transfer them! You will be free to enter and exit the cat lounge as you wish but we will cap it at 12-15 people to keep the cats from getting overwhelmed so that all of you can have the best interactions possible with them!
We will have appetizers and desserts from our bakery partners including the kitty meringues and some new items, macarons made here in Dayton. The coffee bar will be open for you to try any of our coffee concoctions (we'll have some decaf alternatives!)
A caricature artist will be in the cafe side to capture the spirit of the occasion and give you a memento! If you have a photo of a cat you'd like to include, please bring it with you, and Dennis can draw them in with you.
Lastly, we will have a photo booth. We will email the photos afterward for you to keep!
The dress code is cocktail attire, although we encourage you to scale up if you'd like the occasion to do so, or dress down if it makes you more comfortable.
There are 8 spots behind our building at 1513 E 5th St, including the accessible parking spot, which is accessible via alley access on Dutoit or Henry. There is street parking throughout St. Anne's, with the exception of 5th St itself.
Our entrance from 5th St is on the East side of our building, on the porch. Our accessible entrance is at the back of the building, but can be accessed via sidewalk from 5th St or from the back parking lot.
Passing Inspections and Scheduling New Events!
over 6 years ago
– Tue, Sep 12, 2017 at 11:55:23 PM
Hi Friends!
We don't have an open date set yet - but we'll be able to nail one down soon! Big news! We passed our rough in plumbing and electrical inspections last week! We also got approval on our revisions for our new ductless HVAC system so Butler Heating and Air is ready to get to work installing it. These were some key progress points and we're now able to start flooring so that we can install drywall as soon as our HVAC is done.
We got some tiling done!
Ta-da! Back bar and bathrooms are tiled!
New Merch Pick Up Dates
ArtFest! September 17th - 11am - 5pm
A Celebration of All Things Creative! Shop local artisan vendors, get creative hands-on, chow down on local food trucks, enjoy entertainment by local bands, theatre groups and dance troops while enjoying a day in the park! Free Admission. Parking availbale at Nutter Park on Factory Rd and Beavercreek High School on Dayton-Xenia Rd with busing provided by Beavercreek Christian Learning Center. We will be sharing some of our future classes and programs and have coffee and bakery items for sale. Click here to learn more!
Painting, Pottery, & Purrs - Oct 4th @ 5 - 8pm
Our first event with Decoy was such fun that we are adding one more this fall! Join us for a family-friendly night of artistic fun! Paint some special cat pottery or canvas art and 50% of sales will go towards Gem City Catfé and our opening costs.
Meet Meowrville and Wilpur Wright! These two kittens will be part of our first 12 cats when we open! They were adopted from His Hands Extended Sanctuary and are living with us and Mr. Baby until we open. Mr. Baby is adjusting well and loves playing with Wilpur [the orange floof]. Follow us on Instagram to see the adventures of the new floofs!
Allergen Free Air Update!
Mitsubishi Ductless System
As you all know, we had a very unique project - turning an 1885 duplex into a coffee shop/animal care facility. While this was difficult for all the mechanicals, HVAC in particular was rough. Fitting in all the ductwork and trying to separate our facility into 3 separate zones was compromising our design and functionality and it was going to demolish our budget. Butler proposed a Mitsubishi ductless system, which cut our cost IN HALF and met all our needs. We don't have any huge ducts to fit in and each room can be temperature controlled individually. And as promised, the cat air is contained and separated from the cafe air for any of those that are sadly allergic to cats.
Important Merch Shipping Info
This information was in our last Kickstarter update, but in case everyone didn't get a chance to see it yet, we wanted to share it again:
With this being our first Kickstarter and business of this type, we made some miscalculations. One of these was having time to get orders shipped out. At this time, we don't have a staff. We are acting as our own General Contractors and trying to get the Catfe business set up, including hiring. We are overextended and haven't had time to get orders shipped yet. We're sorry! We appreciate your support and patience and we're sorry we've left you hanging. It was absolutely not our intention. At this point, we want to be realistic and make a solid plan that we can make sure we stick with. We will keep holding merch pick up events for those of you in the Dayton area and hope to get your goodies to you at one of those (dates below). When we open, you'll be able to pick up your order at the Catfe. If you paid for shipping, and you pick up your order, you will get a $7 store credit which can be used on site when we open. Once we're open and have a staff to help, we'll get orders packaged and shipped out within a month of our opening. Again, we're sorry for the late ship dates. We appreciate the support and we want to do the best we can, so we are sorry for any hassles regarding the Kickstarter merch.
Thank you for your patience and support! We are working almost around the clock to make this a super awesome Catfé and make Dayton proud!
Plumbing + Electric = Installed
over 6 years ago
– Thu, Aug 24, 2017 at 03:14:52 PM
Hi Friends!
We're working hard to get open as soon as we can! We know the big question is: what day will that be? And unfortunately, we still have too many variables to give an estimation. We are working hard for a Fall open date, and will keep everyone updated as we work out kinks. We are finishing up with our rough in plumbing and electric this week! We have some updates about upcoming events for merch pick up!
Dayton Porchfest - Aug 26th
FREE mini concerts held on porches throughout St. Anne's Hill [our neighborhood!]. Stroll the neighborhood and support local music at the first of what will be an annual festival celebrating the quality and diversity of the Dayton music scene. Starts at 3:30pm and ends at 6:45pm, with 15 porches and 15 bands! Afterfest will be at Fifth St Brewpub from 7pm - 9:30pm. We will have a booth from 3:30 - 6:45 on 4th St, between Henry and Dutoit. For more information, click here!
This information was in our last Kickstarter update, but in case everyone didn't get a chance to see it yet, we wanted to share it again:
With this being our first Kickstarter and business of this type, we made some miscalculations. One of these was having time to get orders shipped out. At this time, we don't have a staff. We are acting as our own General Contractors and trying to get the Catfe business set up, including hiring. We are overextended and haven't had time to get orders shipped yet. We're sorry! We appreciate your support and patience and we're sorry we've left you hanging. It was absolutely not our intention. At this point, we want to be realistic and make a solid plan that we can make sure we stick with. We will keep holding merch pick up events for those of you in the Dayton area and hope to get your goodies to you at one of those (dates above). When we open, you'll be able to pick up your order at the Catfe. If you paid for shipping, and you pick up your order, you will get a $7 store credit which can be used on site when we open. Once we're open and have a staff to help, we'll get orders packaged and shipped out within a month of our opening. Again, we're sorry for the late ship dates. We appreciate the support and we want to do the best we can, so we are sorry for any hassles regarding the Kickstarter merch.
Thank you everyone! Can't wait to see you soon over coffee and cats!
Construction Progress + Merch Updates
almost 7 years ago
– Wed, Aug 09, 2017 at 02:22:42 PM
Hi Friends!
First and foremost, construction!
We know everyone is wondering how construction is going and when we are opening. Construction is going as well as we could expect for a project of this scope but we are still not far enough along to set a projected open date. This week, electric and plumbing are going in. HVAC has been slower since we have a more complex system keeping the cat lounge completely separated from the cafe, but we are really happy with the system we're going to be installing and can't wait to show it off in future updates! We recently did a Facebook Live building tour. You can check it out here if you missed it. We promise to keep everyone updated as much as we can as we continue to move forward and we will set an open date and dates for the VIP Party and Early Entry as soon as we can to make sure we give everyone advance notice.
Cat Lounge 1, next to the street.
Merch Shipping
With this being our first Kickstarter and business of this type, we made some miscalculations. One of these was having time to get orders shipped out. At this time, we don't have a staff. We are acting as our own General Contractors and trying to get the Catfe business set up, including hiring. We are overextended and haven't had time to get orders shipped yet. We're sorry! We appreciate your support and patience and we're sorry we've left you hanging. It was absolutely not our intention. At this point, we want to be realistic and make a solid plan that we can make sure we stick with. We will keep holding merch pick up events for those of you in the Dayton area and hope to get your goodies to you at one of those (dates below). When we open, you'll be able to pick up your order at the Catfe. If you paid for shipping, and you pick up your order, you will get a $7 store credit which can be used on site when we open. Once we're open and have a staff to help, we'll get orders packaged and shipped out within a month of our opening. Again, we're sorry for the late ship dates. We appreciate the support and we want to do the best we can, so we are sorry for any hassles regarding the Kickstarter merch.
Our future neighbor and St. Anne's staple, Fifth Street Brewpub, is hosting a fantastic event tonight! Their weekly Wednesday Yappy Hour has gone to the cats this week (don't worry, dogs are still welcome)! Drink beer, support cats, paint, and pick up your merch!
Please join us and help us raise money for the Humane Society of Greater Dayton's Trap, Neuter, Return program. 5% of the net sales from the day, $1 of each selected FSB pint, and all collected donations will be donated.
While you are here, the folks from Decoy Art Studio will have both a dog or cat canvas art project ready for you to do for $10 (supplies are first-come-first-served)
Ned Pepper's annual summer time Parking Lot Party is BACK and bigger than ever!
This is a family and pet friendly event! Dunk Tank with your favorite Daytonians!
Muree-o Cahrt Big Wheel Track!
Giant Water Balloon Fight!
Great Local Food Trucks!
(The Wicked 'Wich of Dayton, The Drunken Waffle, Gyro Express Cart)
Beer Truck!
3rd Sundays at Front Street is an outdoor market in conjunction with the artist studios and galleries located in the Front Street Buildings. The Outdoor Market features antiques, collectibles, artists and artisans, produce and baked goods, handmade and homemade items, jewelry, furniture, upcycled and recycled, food trucks and live music. Fun for the whole family!
We will add events to our Facebook, email list and through Kickstarter updates if we have future merch pick ups!
Thank you all for your support! We can't wait to get open and see you all there!
Merch Pick Up + Construction Update
almost 7 years ago
– Sat, Jul 15, 2017 at 01:30:19 PM
Hi friends!
Big Update: We have our building permit!
We're moving forward with construction and will set an opening date soon. We are targeting the end of August or early September.
Next Merch Pick Up - tomorrow, July 16th!
Join us at Front St Market to pick up your Kickstarter goods from 11am - 4pm at 1001 E 2nd St. Grab some delicious cold brew and baked goodies!
Merch Shipping
We have all the items in stock and we're working on getting everything shipped by the end of the month, for those of you that selected items to be shipped. We apologize for the delay and missing our goal of June 30th. It's been a little overwhelming trying to keep everything on schedule. We'll keep everyone updated on it!
Still need to answer your survey?
This update is going to everyone, so thank you to those of you that have answered your survey! If you haven't yet, you can access it here: https://gemcitycatfe.backerkit.com/
Keep in touch!
We'd love to stay in touch after Kickstarter is all wrapped up!
We'll keep you all in the loop as we get more information! Thank you for your patience and support. We appreciate all of you and can't wait to see each of you there when we open!
