Even
though Kanchan Singh is a born optimist, there were moments when she thought her
dream of starting Washington, DC's first cat café would never get its paws off
the ground.
Singh, 24, got the idea for her first business venture while
backpacking in Thailand. Walking among the temples and medieval city walls in
the city of Chiang Mai, Singh stepped into Catmosphere, a wildly popular bakery
that doubles as a petting zoo for cats.
Singh, who fancies felines and
has an aptitude for business, pounced at the prospect of bringing a cat café to
America. She partnered with the Washington Humane Society, which
enthusiastically agreed to provide an unlimited supply of adoptable cats. When
the local news media discovered her business plan, citywide anticipation for
Crumbs & Whiskers reached a fevered pitch.
But the city authorities
weren’t so enthusiastic. Singh said the Office of Zoning "couldn't classify us,
because nothing like this has ever existed before."
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