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Baltimore's First Cat Cafe May Be In The Works

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- One man is looking to open Baltimore's first cat cafe in Hampden.

Cam Tucker is working to open Charm Kitty Cafe, a cat cafe and co-working space at Whitehall Mill, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Charm Kitty Cafe will house at least seven cats at any given time, Tucker said, and they will be free to roam the 1,150-square-foot space at 3300 Clipper Mill Road.

Tucker is partnering with the Baltimore Humane Society, which will select cats with the best temperaments for the cafe, where they will be kept until they are adopted. The Humane Society will handle all adoptions — the cafe won't profit from them, Tucker said — and applications will be available in the cafe.

Tucker said he visited cat cafes in Washington, D.C., and Colorado, and learned from their successes and failures.

At Charm Kitty, the coffee will be prepared next to Whitehall Mill marketplace and delivered to the cafe. The cafe will offer Zeke's Coffee to start, and may eventually provide local food items as well.

What sets Charm Kitty apart from cat cafes in other cities is its design as a coworking office. Most cat cafes accept reservations with time limits for customers to enjoy the cats and cuisine.

Tucker expects Charm Kitty to accommodate as many as 30 workers, and it will limit visitors to about 15 at a time during evenings and weekends.

Charm Kitty Cafe requires minor cosmetic updates before it can open. To that end, Tucker launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $5,000 needed for new flooring, furniture and supplies. The campaign was fully funded in less than a day, and as of 4 p.m. Friday it had raised more than $9,300 from 192 backers.

The Kickstarter is open until April 1, and Tucker said any extra funds will be invested in the cafe. He's aiming to open it in the second half of 2017.

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