Back in June, Holly and Mike Kundrata told the Courant their cat cafe at 335 Salmon Brook St. would open "later this summer," with the timing hinging on permits for both the food operation and the animal side. As of this weekend, 9 Lives Cafe's website is live with a reservation system, posted hours (Wednesday through Saturday, 10 to 6), and house rules for the cat lounge — kids 8 and up, adults supervising. The layout: a cafe side with pastries, coffee, and hot chocolate, and a separate adoptable-cat lounge stocked by the Enfield Community Cat Project and Cat Nap Village. The Courant reported the space holds up to 20 cats at a time, all spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and available for adoption.
Why this counts as a signal and not just a cute opening: the Kundratas didn't just add a coffee menu to a pet business — they built a two-permit operation in a small-town storefront, the kind of regulatory lift that stalls plenty of first-time owners. And the model is destination retail on a street that could use it: a rescue partnership means a built-in press engine and a steady stream of first-time visitors with a reason to come back. If Salmon Brook Street is going to compete for weekend trips against bigger centers, this is the sort of anchor that gets people to park once and walk the block.