Vancouver cat café online fundraiser misses mark, but plans to continue
Catfé raised more than $32K of a $50K goal through crowdfunding site Indiegogo
The woman hoping to bring a Tokyo-style cat café to Vancouver says the project will continue, despite a crowd-sourced fundraising campaign missing its goal.
At close of the fundraiser Friday, the Catfé, which had a fundraising goal of $50,000, had only raised $32,125.
But cat lover Michelle Furbacher posted on the Catfé Indigogo page that the project will go through, due to a flexible fundraising clause on the site.
"Thank you so much everyone for your support. Next step: location search," the post stated.
Just before a final push for funds last week, Furbacher said she would go forward, no matter what.
"We're kinda at the point where I am going to make it happen no matter what, if we don't reach our goal," she said. "But I still really want to push for our last week and try and make the goal."
Furbacher explained that she envisions the café as a social space for people who love cats.
"It's a place where you can go to get a coffee, relax with your friends and hang out with a bunch of kitties."
Furbacher said the biggest hurdle she now faces is local health regulations.
"To comply with health codes we have to have the café side completely separate from the cat side, but you will be able to go get your snack and your drinks and then bring them over to the other side," she said.
With files from the CBC's Emily Elias and Luke Brocki