Take a moment to imagine a woman, completely alone. She has no friends, no family with her and only knows that she wants to create a life for herself. She immigrated to the U.S. with nothing but an undergraduate degree from the University of Punjab in Pakistan.
Well, an undergraduate degree, and a passionate love for cats.
This woman is Leila Qari, the current owner of the Denver Cat Company. At this café, customers can enjoy a beverage and a cat, as friendly felines roam freely about the place. This type of cafe is a trend rapidly spreading across the U.S., but when Qari opened her establishment, it was one of the firsts in the country, second only to the Oakland, California location that opened in October of 2014.
“I heard about this idea through a pop-up that Purina did back in April of 2014,” Qari said. “That’s what led me to do it, and I opened it in December of that year.”
There were many roadblocks that could have caused the company to die as soon as it was born. Location, staffing, consistency in traffic-all of which are threats in the overhead business model. Qari took a chance, and the odds were in her favor.
“Luck is where preparedness meets opportunity,” Qari said. “I feel very lucky.”
However, Qari was not always the successful member of the business world that she is today. After coming to America, Qari attended the University of Denver’s law school where she graduated at the top of her class.
She practiced in the legal world for a few years before she made the transition to business.
“I got burnt out,” she said. “But if I did not have my legal background, I wouldn’t have dared to do this. Any degree of education will make someone feel more confident, but law especially is so hooked into our systems of power that it gave me a better understanding of how the world works.”
With law came the connections that Qari made in order to get her foot into the door of business, working with people and establishing networks that she referred to as her “building blocks.”
Both law and business are male-dominated industries, and while Qari’s accomplishments made her climb seem easy, it was not without struggle. Qari did admit her gender caused a few setbacks.
“Landlords, for instance,” she said. “Real estate is a primarily male industry, and when I was looking for locations for the Cat Company, they didn’t take me seriously.”
Qari had to continuously prove her abilities throughout her career, and while she claimed the law credentials helped later, she initially had to show mentors and professors that she truly was passionate.
“I always have to work towards something,” she said.
Qari is a self-made individual whose willpower was the foundation for her success.
“Being the kind of person that will do whatever it takes to get through something…that tenacity, that attitude, it helps. Having a real conviction about an idea that you have backed up by hard work and being willing to do whatever it takes, that’s important,” she said.
Praise should be given for all that Qari has done for herself and others, as she now acts as a mentor for others trying to open similar cafés. However, she modestly brushes off the entirety of the credit.
“None of us do anything alone. There were a lot of people who helped me along the way. Ask for help! It’s ok to ask it, it’s ok to ask for advice. People are excited to support others who are doing something cool,” she said.
The Denver Cat Company is open Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and stays open until 8 p.m. on the other days of the week. Students receive a discount on tickets and will pay $9 as opposed to the standard $12. Furthermore, the cats in the cafe are up for adoption, sourced through the rescue that Qari herself runs. You can visit these kitties and the inspiring owner at 3929 Tennyson St, Denver, CO, 80212.
