We love Cats like Us! If you don't know why, you should start by watching this hysterical commercial for their shop! Then you should know that they started a Tiki group called, get this, "B.U.T.T." and we think they are just about the cutest ever-what's not to love?
We caught up with Julie Ann(JA), Andrew (AD) and Meagan (M) recently to chat them up about essentials, the contents of their fridge, and their favorite retro cocktail recipe! Check out their interview and if you are in Western New York, do not miss their store!
Tell us a little about yourselves and the shop.
(AD) Julie Ann and I are born and raised in Western New York. She has a business background and I have a web/design background, and we share a great love for everything mid century modern. We really enjoy the music, fashion and design from the 1940's through the 60's. But we are actually children of the 80's which means we experienced the 50's as a wave of revivals. From Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley in the '70s, The Stray Cats in the 80's, and Big Bad VooDoo Daddy in the '90s, we have always had a great love of times past. We finally made it to Viva Las Vegas in 2009 and had such a great time, on the ride home we started talking about opening our own store. Between Julie Ann's business sense and my computer and web experience, we covered almost all the bases to the entire business.
The boutique location is the result of years of retail experience and desire to “do a store right”. Really it's a simple formula: attractive store, great merchandise and even better service – it's a winning combination. The clothing is a hand-picked collection of retro and vintage-inspired brands. We like classic styles that have a bit of an edge – which perfectly describes Sourpuss!
How long have you been in business?
(JA) We have been both an online retailer and brick and mortar shop for a little over 4 years.
You're near Niagara Falls-What's your favorite tourist trap to visit?
(JA) Haha. Well Niagara Falls itself is beautiful, we prefer the Canadian side as opposed to the American side. In Canada they have Clifton Hill nearby which is a hill that has the Falls at the base and is littered with awful tourist shops, wax museums, haunted houses, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, a pretty park and so much more. Not far from Clifton Hill is a diner that's kitschy and round called the UFO Restaurant. The food is a little better than average, but you should go there for the atmosphere. It's wonderfully space age.
This year we had our staff holiday party on the American side of the Falls at the Seneca Niagara Casino. We went mostly for the award winning buffet, but also partook of the slot machines. Unfortunately we didn't have any winners in our group.
Do you have a morning ritual?
(JA) I probably should, but don't. Since I live a mile away from work, I sleep in until the last minute and have exactly 45 min from the time I wake up to get out the door. (I always shower or bathe the night before because it helps me sleep.) I enjoy English Muffins or waffles for breakfast and I drink much too much Earl Grey tea. I especially love the limited edition English Muffins. I just finished off the holiday cranberry ones.
Needless to say with little time for myself before work something always suffers. It's usually my hair, but sometimes it's my makeup or outfit. My hair gets thrown in a ponytail a lot. Plus this time of year it's insanely static-y.
What's in your fridge, right at this moment?
(JA) Toblerone chocolates from Santa, OJ, soy milk, lemons, limes, carrots, we always have a brick of cheese too because hey you never know when someone comes over for cheese & crackers! Oh and a batch of minestrone soup I made. I used to cook and bake a lot when I had time, now it gets relegated to Sundays.
What 3 items do you need for your favorite vintage look? (JA)
Red lipstick, I've always liked MAC's Ruby Woo, but it's a little drying. So I have a new favorite...I'm kind of in love with Wet & Wild's Stoplight Red.
Bobby pins, you can do anything with them.
A little black dress. Make it your own, tight or swing style it is ALWAYS in style!
If you could invite 5 famous people to a cocktail party who would they be? (JA)
Alive or dead? That's a hard one! Andrew will be answering this one!
(AD) I have a great love of comedians, and they are sometime the most interesting characters off screen for different reasons. Some of my picks for a party would be Danny Kaye, Moe Howard, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe...
Speaking of cocktails, we love that you blog about retro cocktails! Tell us your best retro drink recipe!
Meagan has put her heart into these articles! They're all tested winners, but here are a few of her favorites...
(M) Oh goodie, cocktails! One of my favorite things to sample and write about! My favorite cocktails are broken up into two categories; classic cocktails and Tiki drinks. My favorite classic cocktail is a dirty gin martini made with Tanqueray and extra olives. I love the Tropical Itch as my favorite Tiki drink the recipe is;
8 oz. Passion fruit juice (I like Goya)
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi 151 rum
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 oz. Dark rum
1 oz. Bourbon
Basically I'll try most cocktails at least once. Cheers!
(JA) I go through phases with drinks and DO love the classics, screwdrivers, gin and tonics, rum and cokes, and zombies. I love Harvey Wall Bangers (but few bars stock Galliano).
We also started a Tiki group called B.U.T.T (Buffalo United Tiki Talk) and we regularly meet to discuss (and partake) all things Tiki including drinks, that's kind of how the cocktail blog was created.
Are there any upcoming events in the store (or in your area) that you're excited about?
(JA & M) We're excited about our sponsorships!
Since it's frequently cold in this area, car show season is limited, but kicks off with the Cavalcade of Cars at the very end of February at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. We are sponsoring the Retro Car Room again, which is always a fun time.
Buffalo Motorama at the Buffalo Convention Center is at end of March and we sponsor the Open Wheel Room along with bringing the swing dancers for entertainment.
Our in-store events; hair & makeup demo with Jessica Jean happens in February with is always a fun time and I've learned a lot of hair and makeup tips from her. Plus we have Cats Like Treats scheduled in March that benefits our local SPCA. We have in-store events every month at Cats Like Us, so keep up with us on Facebook and with our newsletters to stay informed on all the fun!
We'll be attending the New England Shake Up for the first time later this year in September and we're excited to be working with Sourpuss Clothing and attending the event! Look for our joint featured ad in spring!
People should visit Cats Like Us because: ___________(AD) We truly offer wonderful service – which is very retro! In our boutique location we pride ourselves in making sure you look great in our clothes. We tell you when an items looks good, and when it doesn't. After all, every customer is our brand ambassador, so we want you to look and feel your best!
Thanks for chatting with us guys! Keep it retro cute!
(photo by KC Kratt)
If you could invite 5 famous people to a cocktail party who would they be? (JA)
Alive or dead? That's a hard one! Andrew will be answering this one!
(AD) I have a great love of comedians, and they are sometime the most interesting characters off screen for different reasons. Some of my picks for a party would be Danny Kaye, Moe Howard, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe...
Speaking of cocktails, we love that you blog about retro cocktails! Tell us your best retro drink recipe!
Meagan has put her heart into these articles! They're all tested winners, but here are a few of her favorites...
(M) Oh goodie, cocktails! One of my favorite things to sample and write about! My favorite cocktails are broken up into two categories; classic cocktails and Tiki drinks. My favorite classic cocktail is a dirty gin martini made with Tanqueray and extra olives. I love the Tropical Itch as my favorite Tiki drink the recipe is;
8 oz. Passion fruit juice (I like Goya)
1 1/2 oz. Bacardi 151 rum
1/2 oz. Orange Curacao
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 oz. Dark rum
1 oz. Bourbon
Basically I'll try most cocktails at least once. Cheers!
(JA) I go through phases with drinks and DO love the classics, screwdrivers, gin and tonics, rum and cokes, and zombies. I love Harvey Wall Bangers (but few bars stock Galliano).
We also started a Tiki group called B.U.T.T (Buffalo United Tiki Talk) and we regularly meet to discuss (and partake) all things Tiki including drinks, that's kind of how the cocktail blog was created.
Are there any upcoming events in the store (or in your area) that you're excited about?
(JA & M) We're excited about our sponsorships!
Since it's frequently cold in this area, car show season is limited, but kicks off with the Cavalcade of Cars at the very end of February at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. We are sponsoring the Retro Car Room again, which is always a fun time.
Buffalo Motorama at the Buffalo Convention Center is at end of March and we sponsor the Open Wheel Room along with bringing the swing dancers for entertainment.
Our in-store events; hair & makeup demo with Jessica Jean happens in February with is always a fun time and I've learned a lot of hair and makeup tips from her. Plus we have Cats Like Treats scheduled in March that benefits our local SPCA. We have in-store events every month at Cats Like Us, so keep up with us on Facebook and with our newsletters to stay informed on all the fun!
We'll be attending the New England Shake Up for the first time later this year in September and we're excited to be working with Sourpuss Clothing and attending the event! Look for our joint featured ad in spring!
People should visit Cats Like Us because: ___________
(AD) We truly offer wonderful service – which is very retro! In our boutique location we pride ourselves in making sure you look great in our clothes. We tell you when an items looks good, and when it doesn't. After all, every customer is our brand ambassador, so we want you to look and feel your best!
Thanks for chatting with us guys! Keep it retro cute!
