Business looks to sheltering kittens in next five-year plan
By Joe Paldino
LURAY, July 1 – Five years after its grand opening, Ollie Cat Cafe honored its journey over the years with a celebratory ribbon cutting. Owner Shannon Lindner was supported by friends, staff, and even her parents, who made the trip from Florida to commemorate the milestone.
“Thank you,” she said to the ribbon cutting attendees. “For everything, everyday. I appreciate all of you.”
Shannon and her late husband Tim decided to make the trip to Luray and create Ollie Cat Cafe after their son Cody joined the Air Force. Shannon didn’t have any particular reasoning for why the two chose Luray.
“I just looked at a map,” she said. “We didn’t want to do it in Florida…This place just seemed to fit. It was perfect.”
The initial adjustment to Luray’s environment was a challenge at first, but over time Shannon and Tim slowly built up their business and became familiar with their new home.
“[We put] this plan [into] motion…quickly,” said Shannon. “[It was] always [on our] minds.”
From creating the menu and naming the cafe after Oliver, one of their many rescued cats, Shannon and Tim poured hours upon hours into the project.
Although it was initially Tim’s dream that manifested Ollie Cat Cafe, Shannon adopted it as her own and continued his legacy after he died earlier this year.
“I just want to see my husband proud,” she said. “I want to see my staff proud.”
Over the years, Shannon’s love for rescues has blossomed into a dream of her own. She plans to transform a vacant part of Ollie Cat Cafe into a cat shelter called Ollie’s Orphans.
The cafe has already supported its local community over the years, and Shannon hopes that in the future, Ollie’s Orphans will encourage the population of Luray to adopt cats without a home, giving them the care many of them need.
“I try to encourage all my guests to…have fun with [local rescues],” she said. “You don’t have to adopt, just go and have fun with them.”
With a memorable five-year milestone passed, Shannon feels adamant about the future of Ollie Cat Cafe and hopes to keep serving the local Luray community – both people and pets.
For more information about Ollie Cat Cafe,
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