“We can make that, and we can make it better.” For Amelia Paulson, owner of Rebel Paw - with her partner, Nicholas Black - the instinct to create, to work with her hands, to take something simple and turn it into something meaningful, has always been there. Growing up in Salt Lake City, she was constantly making something: dolls, handmade books, chocolate truffles tucked into little boxes. “My whole family is very entrepreneurial,” she says. “It just seemed to be the way I go.” 

“Cats can bring joy to people of all ages and can help them to get through emotional times. Sometimes a customer asks me, ‘What is your favorite cat?’ I say, I love every one of them. They are all different, and I want to share them with others.” That is how Lisa Chen, who moved to Utah from China in 2007, describes the inspiration behind MiaoMiao Café, a charming cat-themed space that merges handmade desserts, specialty drinks, and, of course, a family of cats she considers her children.

“When I was a baby, Tinker used to sleep with me in the crib. He lived to be twenty-two years old.” Lisa, originally from Las Vegas, was inspired by Japanese cat cafés and named her own shop, Tinker's Cat Café, after her beloved cat.