We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dena Rupp a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dena, thanks for joining us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.
First off, I do believe that life itself is a risk just by waking up every day and making choices. But the most life-changing risks are the ones you take outside of your comfort zone. The ones that scare you, make you feel uncomfortable and make you question everything. It’s a must for personal growth and I highly suggest you try it sometime.
In 2009 I took my first life-changing risk by deciding to go across the globe and teach English as a second language in Daejeon, South Korea. I got rid of a lot of my personal belongings, quit my jobs and headed out craving something more than what I was living.
After graduating college in 2004, I got a job at a local printer in my hometown. With my Bachelor’s in Graphic Arts, I felt pretty good about it and figured this was how things were supposed to play out. However, I always had this inkling inside of me that I needed to see parts of the world. While in college, I took multiple art history courses and the one that stood out the most was Art of India. This class was rich in history and architecture and I remember thinking to myself, this can’t be real… and at that moment, I made it a point that going to India was on my life bucket list and I wanted to see all of this wonder in person.
And in 2010, I did just that. After my first year contract finished in S. Korea, I decided that it was time to see those beautiful images of India in person. So yet another risk I decided to take, planning a trip to a totally different country. It was by far one of the best places I’ve ever visited.
When you check a box off of any kind of list, it gives you this boost of confidence. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and the fact that I actually planned these experiences and took the action to complete it, what an amazing feeling. I decided to check yet another box off my personal life list with starting my own business.
I knew that the business I wanted to start needed to be unique. I also knew I was going to open it in my hometown of Erie, PA. Before I opened the doors of Purrista Cat Cafe in February of 2021, I knew it was not going to be an easy feat, and it was more complicated than I ever imagined. With small town mentality comes a lack of open mindedness which was really prominent at that time, so going against the grain and trying to introduce something that actually isn’t all that new in other neighboring towns, was challenging. I felt that my hometown was against me and it took a dedicated group of people who believed in me and my vision to help Purrista open to the public.
When you take risks, sometimes you need to ask yourself if it’s worth it and weigh the options. And sometimes risks don’t always lead to great rewards, but it can lead you to personal life lessons and even meeting some unexpected people. So far, Purrista was my greatest risk and my biggest lesson. Something I’ll never regret.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Dena Rupp and I own Purrista Cat Cafe in my hometown of Erie, PA. I graduated from Edinboro University with a Bachelor Degree in Graphic Arts. I worked for many small business a majority of my working career which embedded the “support local” passion within me. I always knew I wanted to open a Cafe with a cozy environment but was looking for a unique, meaningful connection to go with it which brought about the idea of helping rescue cats along with local animal shelter, Because You Care.
Cat Cafes have really become important in the US by helping to spread the adopt don’t shop slogan plus to bring awareness as to how important it is to care of your cats and make sure you are properly caring for them and getting them fixed. We have such a cat epidemic in this country with many strays and it’s starting to become a larger issue at hand. Besides the educating side of the business, we offer locally roasted coffee, locally made pastries from women-owned bakers and different activities to spend time with our adoptable feline friends for stress relief and possible forever home adoption. The cat lounge portion of the catfe is separated so others who are perhaps allergic or not a huge fan of the feline population, can rest easy in the cafe side to enjoy a snack and see them enjoying their foster home through our glass partition.
We offer a unique place for customers to spend time and enjoy quality, locally made items along with giving rescue cats another platform to be seen and perhaps adopted. We offer therapeutic benefits just by hanging out with the cats and give people a space to feel comfortable. I am most proud of how my vision came to life by the hard work and the loads of research I put into the business. I think that my drive helped me get to where we are today. but I am also proud of the community for showing us so much support this past last year and a half. I do hope that everyone knows how much love and devotion was put into this small business in Erie, PA. It’s all for the love of cats and positive change!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
My business represents not only my love for cafe culture and animal welfare, but it’s also a reflection of my personal journey on getting there. Before I went into a long research haul on cat cafes and coffee shops, I was going through my own journey of self love and mental health. See, like a lot of others, I was raised on not showing emotion, shoving my feelings deep down and pretending I didn’t have depression or anxiety in my younger years. When you shove things down and not dealing with things head on, they do come back to haunt you ten fold, and that’s exactly what happened to me. I had many breakdowns during these times. I was confused, scared, unsure of my future, felt like my life was pointless and I had nothing to look forward to. I was heading into a downward spiral of self hate and anger. My saving grace was my inner strength of admitting I needed help and a few friends who understood my battles. My therapist was able to explain things to me that I never even thought of, he listened and helped me rewire. I had to unlearn some toxic traits and start looking at things differently. Don’t get me wrong, I still have my moments with life and the challenges sent my way, but if it wasn’t for therapy and the sense of knowing that I am in control of my thoughts and choices, my business wouldn’t be open and I wouldn’t have taken that particular risk. Unlearning toxic thoughts that I’ve been doing my whole life was the reason I found the drive to open Purrista Cat Cafe.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I think funding for businesses have really changed in the last several years and traditional banks aren’t your only options. When I started getting serious about opening the Catfe, money was definitely the hardest part because I didn’t have much to my name. I was someone who worked extremely hard and had a lot of experience, but financially I was broke living paycheck to paycheck. I had to be creative and honest in my journey hoping others would connect with and support me for who I was and what I wanted to bring to my community. After several banks in my area turned me down and I was feeling quite hopeless, I met with someone who I was very up front with and I want to believe from that honesty, they wanted to help me. I was introduced to a community lending co. who at that time was looking to help entrepreneurs that didn’t have much luck with traditional banks and also wanting to help minorities. As a woman and going through the process of opening a business – it was very much needed at that time. After being introduced to one person, I was then introduced to another opportunity, and then another. It was the perfect combination of what I needed to get the capital to start Purrista. I also utilized the Kiva platform and Go Fund Me for my own injection of funds into the business plan. So even though there were many moving parts, it is doable and manageable, you just have to find the right people and the right places that will support you. Honesty is also the best policy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.purristacatcafe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/purristacatcafe/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/purristacatcafe/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dena-rupp-5704112a/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@purristacatcafe9627
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/purrista-cat-cafe-erie?osq=purrista+cat+cafe
- Other: tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@purristacatcafe
Image Credits
Michaela Kessler Photography