THE TOP OF THE TOWN: Constellation Cat Café

If City Pulse were a high school, then Constellation Cat Café owner Kelsey Maccombs would be our homecoming and prom queen — and maybe the star quarterback and valedictorian too.

Her coffee shop and feline playground on Lake Lansing Road in East Lansing won more awards than any other business in this year’s Top of the Town contest, taking home the distinction of Greater Lansing’s best coffee shop, best hangout for seniors, best hangout for students, best trivia night, best local Instagram account and the title of the region’s most trustworthy business.

It also took second place for best solo hangout and best local attraction for kids. It seems this place has nearly universal appeal for all ages in Lansing — and even more so for cat lovers. 

“It feels really good,” Maccombs said. “It has been a terrible time to run a fledgling little business, so it’s so nice to hear that people care about us. We’re really just a small business that makes no money at all, so we’re just living off our adoption numbers and compliments.”

Constellation Cat Café opened in late 2019 and in fewer than two years has already solidified itself as a Lansing staple. Maccombs attributes the recent popularity to a general love of cats, as well as a cast of regulars that have found a sense of comfort in a brief escape to the cafe.

“We’re pretty open for everyone. We try to create that welcoming environment,” Maccombs said.

The business model is simple: Half of the shop looks like a typical cafe and serves a variety of coffee drinks and milkshakes. The other side is a room filled with up to 20 cats, where customers can pay $14 to spend an hour cuddling with kitties and sipping sugary beverages.

Maccombs’ initial goal — and part of the whole reason she started the coffeehouse — was to take in 100 rescued foster cats annually in hopes that she could help each of them to find a new home. The 900th cat was adopted from the cafe last month, about 10 years ahead of schedule.

“Most of our cats are getting adopted within a week or two now,” Maccombs said. “It’s definitely not a new concept. These types of cafes have been around for years. I just took a gamble that it could work here, and it really means a lot that people seem to love us so much. I honestly cried when I saw we won most trustworthy. I just want to be honest and straightforward with people.”

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