Boris And Horton Is Much More Than Just A Dog-Friendly Cafe
During this time of uncertainty, it's important to spotlight and support incredible small businesses. One that has certainly captured our hearts is Boris & Horton, a hip cafe located in New York that caters to customers of the human and canine variety. The dog-friendly coffee shop was founded by the father-daughter duo Coppy Holzman and Logan Mikhly in 2017. Recently, we were lucky enough to catch up with Logan on the Woof Life Show.
The co-owner of the cafe explained that the idea for the establishment occured when she was on a walk with her father and their dogs, Boris and Horton, the coffee shop’s namesakes. She stated when they decided that they “wanted to get coffee in the West Village,” they faced the predicament of what to do with their precious pooches.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-aOqotJvZr/
“One of us has to go inside to the coffee shop while the other had to wait outside with the dogs and we were like wait there might be a solution for this and a bunch of pet cafes had opened,” said Logan. “We started doing research on it and from the initial research with the health department to opening it was about a year.”
In addition, she noted that Boris & Horton is “a safe option for people” who may be inclined to tie up their dogs to a post or table when they are visiting a regular cafe. Logan stated that in Williamsburg, where she resides, there has been an increase in dog theft, which is every pet owner’s nightmare.
Not only is the establishment somewhere you can bring a furry friend, it is also a place where you may potentially meet a new bestie, as Boris & Horton hosts adoption events on the weekends.
“I think it is really cool for our rescue events that we see a lot of people get their first dogs which is always extremely exciting,” stated Logan, who has previously worked as a Foster Coordinator for the non-profit Used Dogs, located in New Orleans.
She went on to say that sometimes these rescue dogs will end up being one of their regular customers.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8MM_l3pZ00/
“It's fun to see a journey of a dog on the adoption van outside the cafe to a regular customer in the cafe. They are often wearing nice collars and have nice travel bags.”
During the interview, Logan also clarified any confusion surrounding the issue of whether or not the establishment is considered a dog cafe.
“The reason we called it a dog-friendly cafe instead of a dog cafe is that people are bringing their own dogs instead of dogs actually living here. In Asia there’s a lot of animal cafes, it's a little bit different in that respect,” said Logan. “But the one thing that I will say is that we get a ton of customers that don’t have dogs and they just kind of want to sit and chat and do work in the room while still hanging out.”
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/B53C1R9JJZY/
She explained that in order to adhere to the “health department’s guidelines,” the cafe is actually split into two sections, with one being an area where pups are free to sit and stay a while. The other side of the cafe is where customers can order and pick up their food and beverages.
Besides the appeal of being ridiculously dog-friendly, the establishment is also quite popular due to its trivia nights. At first the trivia questions were solely focused on all things related to dogs. Now, however, the questions are more general and relate to various pop culture phenomenons, including The Golden Girls and Harry Potter.
So if you happen to be in the New York area once all this craziness is over, be sure to head over to Boris & Horton with your pooch for an afternoon pick-me-up. For drinks we recommend trying The Horton, which is a spicy mocha, akin to a Mexican hot chocolate. Don’t forget to order something for your pup! A favorite among dogs is the pupcake, which is topped with cream cheese frosting and crispy ham.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl5gmChlD1o/