Gatos & Beans plans to remain open after passing of its founder

Earlier this month, Kelli Steward, the founder of Birmingham’s first cat café Gatos & Beans, passed away after a fight with a serious illness. In light of Steward’s passing, we have confirmed that Gatos & Beans plans to continue her legacy and remain open in Avondale.

Remembering Kelli Steward

On February 17, members of Steward’s family, loved ones and community members came together to celebrate her life and memory.

Nearly five years ago, Steward opened Gatos & Beans, a safe haven where customers could interact with, and even adopt one of the café’s resident cats. Since it opened, the café has been responsible for the adoption of nearly 300 cats in the Birmingham area and has become a staple in Avondale.

Gatos & Beans will remain open

According to manager Thalia Hall, the café will continue serving the community.

“We’re going to be doing everything we can to keep it going here because it’s important to a lot of people. We’re at the beginning of our busiest season, the spring, and we’ve had a bunch of adoptions already. We’ve had a ton of new people that didn’t even know we were here that came in, they’re just trying to support something that they think is cool in Birmingham.”

Thalia Hall, Manager at Gatos & Beans

With a myriad of local businesses closing in Avondale at the start of this year, it’s more important than ever to support businesses that you want to stick around. If you’re considering adopting a cat, or just want to support a good cause, make sure to stop by Gatos & Beans for a coffee and some pets.

Give Gatos & Beans a visit

• Location: 4348 3rd Ct S, Birmingham, AL 35222
• Hours: Thursday 2-6PM | Friday 12-6PM | Saturday 11AM-6PM | Sunday 12-6PM | Monday 2-6PM

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