BONUS EPILOGUE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
The Milwaukee Times
New cat café opens in downtown Milwaukee
Owner Lily Nelson-Richards is bringing her passion for baking and love for cats to the city with the second location of Purrfect Blend Cat Café.
Lily Nelson-Richards hoped that a handful of people would stop by the grand opening of Purrfect Blend Cat Café. She never expected there to be a line out the door that wrapped around the side of the building.
“It’s been a dream of mine to open a second location, and it’s so special to have such a warm reaction from the community,” Nelson-Richards said.
Purrfect Blend’s original location, which remains in operation, is in Nelson-Richards’s hometown of Golden Falls. Nelson-Richards and her husband Gabe Nelson-Richards frequently split their time between Golden Falls and Milwaukee.
Purrfect Blend’s Milwaukee location will also partner with a local animal shelter, which means the cats roaming and ruling the place are available for adoption.
Nelson-Richards said the second location has been a long time coming. It was an idea she thought of years ago—and one she hasn’t stopped working toward. She first wanted to get the Golden Falls location operating smoothly without her presence, knowing that she’d have to spend more time in Milwaukee to get her dream off the ground.
“None of this would be possible without my staff, because I can’t do it all,” Nelson-Richards said. “That was a tough but very valuable lesson to learn. Life is so much easier when you let people help, and I’m so grateful for those in my corner, especially my husband.”
Over the last handful of years, Nelson-Richards’s baking has become well-known in the state—and across the country. She regularly sells out of baked goods during the week, and around the holidays, has a waiting list for those who aren’t lucky enough to place an order in case there are extra quantities.
As for a third location? Nelson-Richards hasn’t ruled anything out but is staying quiet for now.
“All I can say is that anything is possible,” she added.
Continue reading on page 3A
Lily
“Why do I feel so nervous?” I asked Gabe as we pulled into Hal’s driveway.
Gabe turned off the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt. He turned to me with a laugh. “Because telling people you’re pregnant is pretty much announcing to the world that we’ve had sex.”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “You’re being dramatic.” Although, I guess he was technically right.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, but before I could even think about opening the car door, Gabe shot out of his seat, closed the door, and rounded the car. He opened my door and extended his hand. “I don’t want you to slip, Sunshine.”
“Gabe,” I said on a breathless laugh, not even wanting to know how much he’d worry once we had a snow fall and there actually was a danger of ice on the ground. Still, I took his outstretched hand and carefully got out of the car. I recently finished my first trimester, so I knew I had at least six more months of this. I might as well get used to it.
Gabe and I weren’t sure at first if we wanted kids. After moving in together, we were both focused on our careers. I wanted to grow Purrfect Blend, and Gabe was starting fresh with his new job. He also had his hesitations given how he grew up and his lack of a relationship with his parents. He’d been worried he wouldn’t know how to be a good parent.
He’d even considered dropping his last name and taking mine when we got married, but we decided to combine our last names instead, and that was because of Hal. Since moving to Golden Falls, Gabe and Hal quickly reconnected and it was like there had been no time between them. Their relationship was stronger than ever, and we saw Hal nearly every day when we were in Golden Falls.
Gabe locked the car, and we turned our heads when the front door opened. There was Hal, waving for us to come inside. Hal’s interior and exterior were decorated and ready for Christmas. Gabe had helped him a few weeks ago when he was in Golden Falls. Somehow, along the way, Gabe developed a love for Christmas that might have been greater than mine.
“Hi, Hal,” I greeted, pulling him into a big hug. Gabe did the same.
“I thought I’d see you two at Christmas dinner. What a treat to see you early.”
Gabe let out a gentle laugh. “We wanted to stop by and see you before dinner with everyone. We have something to tell you and wanted you to be the first one to know.”
The three of us walked over to the couch to sit. Gabe and I were on the love seat, and Hal was on the recliner.
“Well, don’t keep me waiting. You have me on the edge of my seat now.” Hal’s lips spread into a smile. “Is it about the café? Did you have a good opening, my dear?”
I reached into my purse, pulling out an extra copy of this week’s paper. I passed it over to Hal. “It was better than I could have imagined. I thought you’d want to read the article and see the photos.”
