We were in Fishtown earlier today and the thought occurred that we hadn't hit up Rocket Cat Cafe in awhile, so we headed over there with thoughts of some kind of vegan sandwich dancing in our head. When we arrived, we felt our heart and stomach hit the floor simultaneously.
Well that certainly looks like some buildings getting torn down. For those that had never seen Rocket Cat Cafe in the past, this is what it looked like previously.
We first went to Rocket Cat over a decade ago, before gentrification really got moving in Fishtown. Since it opened way back in 2003, it maintained a certain gritty character that's been fading out in Fishtown. And the thought that it was seemingly gone made us quite sad. Then we did just a little bit of digging around and discovered the excellent news, that Rocket Cat is merely closed down temporarily while their home undergoes a major renovation effort. Huzzah!
A Billy Penn article from last month provides the lowdown, explaining that the original owner sold the business to a husband and wife team back in October. The couple, Debbie Anday and Jean-Paul Viera made some changes to the coffee program and the menu before the business closed down, and the physical improvements will clearly take the business to another level. According to a post from Rocket Cat on Facebook, they expect the renovation effort will be finished by March.
It's worth noting that the new owners of Rocket Cat not only bought the business but they also bought the property that houses the cafe. This property goes back to Sepviva Street, and a couple of colorful one-story garages were here that have now been torn down. We're merely speculating, but it certainly seems like a reasonable expectation that the owners, who are also in the real estate business, will look to subdivide the property and build a couple of homes on the back of the lot. These homes would sell quickly and at a fine price, and the profits from such a development would not only defray the cost of the building renovation but would also prop up the fortunes of the owners of the coffee shop. Trust us from experience, the real estate business is a little more lucrative than the coffee business, though perhaps not quite as much fun.