The newly established Tabby Cat Cafe in downtown Santa Cruz held its third art exhibition for March’s First Friday, continuing to establish itself as a community space that is welcome to all people.
New owners Jeb Purucker, 33, and Lisa Curran, 36, opened on Jan. 2 at Union and Cedar St and have since taken on one employee, their friend Sean Crossno.
“What’s really big in what we’re trying to do here is just have a space that feels unique and lived in and inviting,” said Purucker. “A place that people can come and hang out and just be for long periods of time studying and having meetings or whatever.”
First Fridays in downtown Santa Cruz are a monthly celebration of the arts. Adults drink overpriced cocktails while their kids spin in an awkward jubilant dance. People throw paper planes from the top stories of buildings while gritty guitar licks weave their way through the streets.
People come to Tabby Cat for the cozy atmosphere. Mugs of all shapes, shades, and sizes are splayed neatly across the shelves in the back, a testament to the regulars from the days of Caffe Bene, which previously occupied the space.
“Customers bring their mugs in and leave them here. Some of the mugs have been here since the ‘80s,” Purucker said.
The exhibit by black and white photographer Colton Bills, since taken down, was a collection of small matte prints experimenting with the textural nature of everyday things. On a poster placed neatly within proximity of his art, he asked viewers, “What makes a photograph beautiful? What duty do we have to capture an image — sociopolitically, aesthetically, emotionally? What do you think the photo is about?”
A smorgasbord of event posters were visible from the counter, alongside the tip jar and donations for the Democratic Socialists of America’s efforts to help the homeless in the unsanctioned Ross Camp.
Purrucker and Curran open their doors to homeless people who need a place to hang out or use the restroom, in an effort to take some of the weight off of the few businesses like Bookshop Santa Cruz that provide bathrooms to the public.
“I think part of being a community space means being a space for the entire community, and a large part of out community is unhoused”, said Purucker. “This is not the kind of place where we shoo people away if they don’t buy something. People need places to just be.”
First Fridays aren’t all Tabby Cat has in store for the community, however. Planned for the future are acoustic/spoken word performances, and other weekly events.
