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New York City dogs and their owners are about to be uprooted from a regular doggie date spot.
Boris & Horton, New York City’s beloved dog café, announced on Thursday morning that it will be closing both the East Village and Williamsburg locations on Monday, February 26.
Within an hour of posting the sad news on Instagram, over 500 comments rolled in, voicing support, disbelief, disappointment and confusion over the seemingly sudden loss of community space.
Boris & Horton first opened on Avenue A in 2018. The unique space offered off-leash exercise and socialization for local pups, plus coffee, snacks and WiFi for their humans. This past summer, the concept expanded to Williamsburg, with an extensive dog-friendly space for daytime playdates and popular evening activities like dog-friendly comedy, drag, music and art nights, plus weekend meetups, exercise classes and more.
Boris & Horton's reason for closure is far too familiar for independent businesses in New York City: It's just too expensive.
“While we’re busy a lot of the time, there’s a lot of times where we’re just too slow,” Boris & Horton’s co-owner Logan Mikhly told Time Out New York via phone. “Our average ticket doesn’t meet our needs.” Rent, staffing and the cost of ingredients and materials are high, and increasing.
Mikhly added that due to being a dog-friendly business, Boris & Horton was subject to more DOH regulations than a typical coffee shop, required more square footage for safe and fun off-leash experiences, and had higher overhead by using exclusively disposable cups and plates, for health reasons.
Still, this isn't the end of Boris & Horton. The website and social media pages will remain active for future projects, and Mikhly plans to stay in the "dog world" for her next venture. She's proud of the hundreds of animal rescue events the business hosted, the thousands of dogs they found homes for, and fundraising accomplished for local rescues.
“We created a place that people could feel comfortable, and stop in if they needed a smile,” Mikhly said. Over the years, Boris & Horton was a space for proposals, weddings, post-breakup pet seshes, de-stressing and just creating a third place with top-tier vibes outside of home or work for countless New Yorkers.
Right now, Mikhly said she was focused on supporting the staff. Fans of the cafés can still visit through Monday, February 26, buy merch and café items and perhaps contribute to a potential staff fundraiser, she said.
However, following the closure announcement, Amanda Herzog, a New York City publicist, created a GoFundMe to help support Boris & Horton, which has already raised $20,000.
Jolie E. Dudley, co-founder of Must Love Dogs and Comedy, comedian, writer and dog mom has been hosting her comedy show at Boris & Horton for the past few years. What started as just a fun place to go with my pup quickly turned into my core community in NYC,” she tells us. “We have held our charitable dog-friendly comedy shows here for the past two-and-a-half years and, by doing so, have been able to raise over $23,000 for animal rescue, help dogs find fosters and adopters, and bring people together to celebrate the love we have for our pups.
“The loss of these dog-friendly cafes would greatly impact the NYC community, not just the current pet parents,” she continues. “Boris & Horton is home to many events that champion animal rescue efforts that help dogs get adopted or raise money and awareness for NYC shelters and rescues. Losing these dog-friendly spaces would take away places we can go with our pups, but on a larger scale, it could greatly impact our shelters, which are already over-capacity the majority of the time. Boris & Horton is an integral part of NYC. It is a hub for community, connection, canines, and a home away from home for dog lovers. Please consider helping them keep their doggy doors open!”