When Cat Island Coffeehouse opened in October 2013, I harbored no delusions of grandeur regarding our fate. While I neither forecast failure (colossal or otherwise), I certainly could not have predicted this or felt more under-prepared to own the degree of good success we continue garnering to date.

The moment there manifested an opportunity for expansion into Gulfport, Miss., opening another bookstore/coffeehouse initially did not occur to me, nor did such the endeavor ever appear to personify any plausible appeal.

Rather, a slightly different concept impressed quite lightly and in an instant the model emerged crystal clear – at least in my mind; surely, any #baristocratic business venture in the state’s second largest city would thrive if it were one sharply attuned and well-tailored to the tastes of locals comprising the multiplicity, variegated and diverse surrounding communities.

The cat (or do I dare say the coon?) is officially out of the bag, We are open for business in Mississippi City where it remains our absolute honor to continue serving as the heartbeat and hub of Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, and contiguous coastal counties.

South Mississippi’s Krewe of the Baristocracy^™ will roll with us.