Lazy Cat Cafe's BIG MOVE

Hi, I’m Dave Robb. Many of you that find yourselves here will already know me from the Lazy Cat Cafe.

For 18 months, we have worked hard to offer a unique and relaxing experience in the heart of Preston and from the reviews, we have been going from strength to strength:

• 163 5* trip advisor reviews 
• Many reviews and recommendation on FB
• Over 150 reviews on Google

I’m here today as after the success, the laughter and the countless cat cuddles, we need to move to NEW premises. Our current lease has run out and planned building work means we cannot stay. Having identified and provisionally agreed new premises on Lancaster Road in Preston City centre, we need your help to get us there!

The story so far...

We really have made a much loved and special place in Preston for people to come together and interact with our beautiful cats; whether playing, cuddling, unwinding, or just talking with staff about all things cats and many things not cat! With people coming from Preston, Blackpool, Lancaster and as far away as Norway, Canada and Bermuda! We want to keep this going and excitedly look to make the experience even better at our new premises. 

The community has been amazing so as part of the move, we want to deliver on some of the areas you have been asking us for to include: 

• Afternoon tea and light bites.
• Focused events, whether tabletop gaming nights, singles nights, just late nights! 
• We are also just starting to explore some possibilities around group therapy and wellbeing sessions.  
• More cats!

The Cat Cafe means so much to myself and to so many people in the local area, with many citing it as the best place in Preston! (thank you). We need your help to stay in Preston and open at a new location, and we would like as many of you as possible to take this opportunity to get involved.

What We Need & What You Get

We are already moving forward, working on the Big Move and found suitable premises on Lancaster Road and agreed terms. These premises will give us the space to expand the existing cafe and offer improve facilities for the Cats and visitors alike.

The short version of the sums!

• Securing New premises – £10,000  (includes first 3 months business rates)
• Improvements and fittings: £4,000
• Council approvals - £1,000

We are offering prepaid cat sessions along with a number of unique perks to both raise the funds to secure the new premises along with expanding into some exciting areas.

Even more excitingly, if we over achieve our goal:

• We would like to further enrich the environment with new toys and furniture.
• Maybe even a few new cats!
• Additional Kitchen equipment and more!
• Development of the booking system to allow more flexible bookings and improved easier experience (flexible times, flexible booking length)
• Improved security - shutters for the premises. 

The additional space will also allow us to start to offer food, with a focus on offering a mixed menu to include Vegan and Gluten Free options. Importantly and initially offering afternoon tea with scones, small cake bites and light bites.

As well as our great house blend coffee and the exceptionally well received hot chocolate, we would like to offer a huge range of tea and expand the coffee shop to create a peaceful escape to the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Oh... and did we mention new addition to the cat team??

So, you know what we need, and our plans, can you help us get there?

What your input means

Without the trust and support of the public and community at large, we couldn’t do this. Your support will enable the continued success of Preston's own Cat Cafe.

Risks & Challenges

In re-opening we have had a number of challenges, many of which we have already addressed; however we want to take our last year and a half’s experience and use this to create a ‘sanctuary’ in the heart of Preston.

This unique experience puts us in a great position to understand the challenges and mitigate many risks, however there are still areas we can't effectively manage:

• Financially securing the new premises.
• The time it takes to settle the cats into their new home.

With our existing experience and your support we know we can address these key points. Not to mention the fact we have 9 lives!

Other Ways You Can Help

We really do have an amazing community, and couldnt have achieved what we have so far without you. We would ask you all out there to really help us spread the word. If you could Promote, Like, Share, just really make some noise about our campaign, it would be invaluable to us all here at the Cafe. #thebigmove

Additionally, if you have any ideas, or feedback for us, please get in touch! 

We hope you are as excited as we are!

Thanks for reading, sharing and contributing.

Dave, Kathy and the Lazy Cat Cafe Team.