Link to original story (subscription required)
By Stephanie Salmons, Feb. 9, 2023
It’s a gray and drizzly Monday morning in Kaimuki, but that doesn’t bother the cats in Popoki + Tea, a cat cafe located on Waialae Avenue.
Lola, a calico, is perched on a cat tree, looking out onto the street. The misnomered Mr. Black, an orange cat, pauses for a scratch under his chin. Bailey sits on a table, waiting for her own pats.
They’re among the cats available for adoption at the cafe, which opened a permanent location in Kaimuki in February 2020 — just before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I first got the idea for Popoki + Tea when I was working for a startup,” founder and owner Liberty Peralta told Pacific Business News. “My work colleague had actually introduced me to the idea of cat cafes, and I had never heard of that before.”
The concept, she said, originated in Asia before arriving stateside, where it became more of a way to find homes for rescue animals.
“I thought it was a brilliant concept just because it gives cats a nice alternative to finding a home because the cat cafe environment is a lot more living room-like, a lot more comfortable for cats,” Peralta said. “… So just being able to give cats a more comfortable environment where they can thrive is what makes a cat cafe really great. And it also gives people a unique experience, too.”
Peralta said in the two years leading up to that, she worked with the pet supply shop next door, The Public Pet, to operate a monthly pop-up cat cafe to test the waters.
Peralta said the company’s main source of revenue is an entry fee to visit the cats. Currently, customers are charged $17 for a 50-minute visit. A walk-in rate is also available.
Popoki + Tea sells tea and also partners with a nearby coffee shop — The Curb Kaimuki — to offer cat-themed drinks. The shop also works with the nearby We Heart Cake Co. to offer confectionary treats.
The cats and kittens in the cafe come from KAT Charities, a nonprofit animal rescue based in Aiea.
Why was this a concept you were interested in? If I’m going to put in the work to start a business, I would want it to be something that creates a positive impact on the community. I felt like this business concept checked all those boxes. And, I mean, I grew up with animals, but interestingly enough, I never really grew up with cats. … And there’s so many cats here on Oahu that need homes and to be able to play a part in finding homes for them is an integral part of our mission.
What was it like opening just before the start of the pandemic? I signed the lease in summer of 2019, so already it was a long and difficult journey to opening. When the pandemic happened, it was like, ‘oh, here’s another hurdle I need to jump.’ It was a really difficult journey. I had a certain idea of what I wanted Popoki + Tea to look like and I had to shift those plans because of budget limitations and permitting requirements. … Entrepreneurship already is challenging. It was really difficult. … In retrospect, it was just another exercise in building resilience.
And I want to acknowledge, too, that I am in a fortunate position because there are a lot of businesses that closed over the last three years, so I feel really fortunate to still be here.
How did you stay afloat during the pandemic? March, April, May [of 2020] we were closed because there [were] a lot of unknown factors. We closed voluntarily because we actually could have stayed open, but I was mostly concerned about how do I run this responsibly? There was not a whole lot that was known about this virus. I was concerned about will cats be affected by this – that was one concern. Then it turned out a lot of procedures we already had in place as an animal business were the same precautions that the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for]. … That was why we were able to reopen was because we were already taking steps to mitigate risks as an animal [business].
What were your revenues in 2022 and what are your expectations for the new year? I am living one day at a time, one week at a time. [Revenues in] 2022 versus 2021, [are] pretty much the same — 2021 was a lot better than 2020, for sure. So things have remained stable. I think the challenges now are setting ourselves apart from similar things people could be doing. There’s more than one cat cafe in our market, so differentiating ourselves and reminding people that we’re around.
Popoki + Tea
Liberty Peralta, founder/owner
Address: 3424 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816
Phone: 808-425-4131
Facebook and Instagram: @popokiandtea