Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tonya Williams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tonya, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I wanted the name of our business to reflect the feeling most animal lovers get when they are in the company of cats. Cats have a way of providing a therapeutic feeling that is both calming and relaxing. The immediate thought that came to mind when thinking of a cat cafe name was ZEN. The definition of zen is “peaceful and calm’ and is the most fitting word to describe how one feels while cuddling and playing with cats. Cat Zen is a vibe, an experience, and the perfect name to reflect our cozy cat cafe.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve always had a connection with animals since I can remember from childhood and most passionate about cats! As a young girl at the tender age of 4, I remember befriending a neighborhood stray. A beautiful seal point siamese mix. Every morning I would go outside looking for him to offer him whatever treats I would forage from our kitchen cabinets and refrigerator. He was the most beautiful animal I’d ever seen and I felt we had a connection. I soon became drawn to cats everywhere I went from neighborhood strays, friends and family cats, and basically any cat that crossed my path. I’ve had cats in my life ever since and couldn’t imagine a home without a feline companion. I always thought I’d become a veterinarian and specialize in cats but life took a different turn and I became a social worker instead serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Over the last 19 years, I aided in placing individuals with disabilities and in need of supported living/housing into long term foster homes. Many of these individuals lacked familial involvement and were wards of the state, essential homeless. As a social worker, we are trained to fight for the underdog, the black sheep, the misrepresented, and underserved. A few years ago I was inspired after visiting a few cat cafe’s to utilize my experience as a social worker to help advocate for homeless cats by opening a socially conscious business that’s primary mission is to find homes for rescue cats. With the support of family, friends, and the community Cat Zen Cafe and Lounge was established. Cat Zen offers a fun and cheerful space connecting adoptable cats with people.

How did you build your audience on social media?

We use social media (Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok) as a primary marketing platform. We initially started engaging the community during our demo phases of building out the space and announcing the impending opening of the cat cafe. We utilize social medial for advertising all our events, news, announcements and updates/information about cats available for adoption. Our goal is to post content at least once a day including videos and reels to increase engagement. We recently hired a social media manager to help with branding and developing more creative content to post on our social media platforms. I would encourage new businesses to think about what they want to be known for or how they want their business branded and develop content that is consistent and represents the image you want to portray for your business.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth and walk ins are our greatest source of new clients. We are fortunate enough to be located in an area that has solid foot traffic which brings new customers through doors daily.

Contact Info:

• Location: 319 N Main Street, Saint Charles MO 63301
• Website: www.catzenlounge.com
• Instagram: @catzenlounge
• Facebook: @catzenlounge