Brooklyn Dog-Friendly Cafe Saved By $250K Crowdfunding Push

BROOKLYN, NY — In just a couple of days, community members came together to keep Boris & Horton, a beloved dog café, operational, raising a remarkable $250,000.

The campaign, which started last Friday, was trying to raise $250,000 online at the Boris & Horton website to save their two locations, one in the East Village and the other in Williamsburg, from shuttering.

Ownership advised earlier this month that they had decided to close owing to several concerns, including the escalating costs of running a small business in New York and the specifics of running a dog-friendly café.

However, thanks to the support of the local community, it looks like it's not over for Boris & Horton.

“Thank you so much to everyone that supported this campaign,” the owners said on Instagram. “We’re thrilled that both locations will be reopening in the coming weeks and we’ll be sharing more details on what to expect very soon."

The whopping $250,000 will go toward making several repairs to the café’s East Village location to keep the business in compliance with city health codes, hiring new staff and keeping current staff paid while the Manhattan location is closed for repairs, owners said.

The team at Boris & Horton has not revealed a date for when the café will reopen, but in an Instagram story, they stated that they are "making reopening plans," along with a photo of two puppies.

"We're humbled and grateful that our community rallied together to give us a second chance," co-founder Logan Mikhly told Patch. "We're currently working hard to make the changes necessary to keep Boris & Horton open for years to come and we can't wait to see everyone in person soon."

Boris & Horton originally launched on Avenue A in the East Village back in 2018. The space provided off-leash exercise and socialization for neighborhood dogs, as well as coffee, snacks and Wi-Fi for their owners.

Last summer, the concept opened a second location at 510 Driggs Avenue, in Williamsburg, with a large dog-friendly area for daytime play dates and popular nighttime activities such as dog-friendly comedy, drag, music and art nights.