Featured Image: Laurie Mason Schroeder owner of Purr Haus and Bubbles.

Purr Haus, a one-of-a-kind Lehigh Valley boutique selling “The Best Stuff for Cats and the People Who Love Them,” will celebrate its first anniversary on Small Business Saturday (Nov. 26) along with the milestone of 50 cats adopted by customers who visited the store.

Owner Laurie Mason Schroeder opened Purr Haus in Emmaus last November with just one rescue partner, but word quickly spread throughout the cat rescue community about the store’s cozy side room where customers can mingle with adoptable cats on weekends. More than a dozen small nonprofits including The Sanctuary at Haafsville, Ruff Life Rescue, FURR, Starting Over Animal Rescue, Aunt Helen’s Cats in Need, Feline Finish Line and Nat’s Cats Rescue, now visit the boutique with cats. Most of the rescue groups are foster-based, meaning they do not have their own shelter facility, and Purr Haus is a place where they show their cats in a cage-free setting, allowing the cats’ personalities to shine.

The business has also helped local cat rescuers raise nearly $3,000 in donations this year through creative events like Feline Fine Fridays and Pumpkin Spice Kitten weekend. Other Lehigh Valley businesses have joined Purr Haus’ mission by donating food, litter and supplies to the visiting rescue cats. Nine Lives Thrift store in Coopersburg, for example, recently paid the adoption fee for a cat who was having a hard time finding his forever home. The store is also an official collection point for the Animal Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley.

There is no entrance fee for people to visit with adoptable cats at Purr Haus.

Mason Schroeder said that when she decided to open her own business last year she envisioned Purr Haus as a hub for cat rescuers, and that’s just what the boutique has become.

“I’m so grateful for the way people have responded to our message of helping cats find adopters while shopping for high quality cat supplies and cat-related gifts for people,” she said. “Visiting Purr Haus is a unique experience. Where else can you buy cat toys and cat-themed jewelry or mugs while cuddling a cute kitten?”

You can also meet Bubbles at Purr Haus. He’s the grouchy 23-pound polydactyl ginger cat Mason Schroeder is fostering from The Sanctuary at Haafsville. Bubbles tests every cat  toy and bed in the store and makes a daily appearance on the store’s Facebook page, where he has a large following. His favorites are imported German catnip toys, one of many hard-to-find items on Purr Haus’ shelves.

The boutique at 27 S. 7th Street in Emmaus, across from the CVS, will celebrate its first anniversary from 10am til 5pm on Nov. 26 with free cupcakes, door prizes and visiting adoptable kittens. More information can be found on Purr Haus’ social media pages.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Ashley Lorah
Senior Vice President of Affiliated Chambers
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/

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