Boris & Horton Dog Café Will Close if Buyer Doesn’t Step Forward
The beloved pooch hangout, which mounted a GoFund campaign to stay open back in the spring, has now announced it may shutter its doors by the end of the month. “We’ve been in discussion with a few potential buyers but unfortunately haven’t been able to close a deal,” the owners said on social media.
Boris & Horton’s last location in the East Village will close at the end of the month if a buyer does not step forward.
The owners of the beloved dog café, Coppy Holzman and Logan Mikhly, made the announcement in a social media post. It was captioned with a simple “broken heart” emoji.
”Over the past several months, we’ve been in discussion with a few potential buyers but unfortunately haven’t been able to close a deal,” they wrote. “After almost seven wonderful years, we hold onto hope that Boris & Horton can begin a new chapter, perhaps with someone from our incredible community stepping in to carry on this journey.”
Boris & Horton’s Brooklyn outlet, which was located in Williamsburg, closed in May. Holzman and Mikhly famously raised $250,000 back in the February to keep open that location and the Avenue “A” that is now in danger of closing.
The Brooklyn store has already closed, triggering a backlash from contributors who thought they were saving both locations.
The owner addressed the fundraiser in their online statement: “We had big plans to use the funds to bring in additional leadership and enhance our events and merchandise offerings. Despite these efforts, we’ve experienced a drop in our monthly subscriptions, with almost 90 percent churn, and our sales are slightly down compared to last year when we made our [initial] decision to close.”
Holzman and Mikhly also acknowledged that they’ve only stayed open as long as they have due to the “generosity” of donors, which they described as “loyal and passionate” members of the “dog community.”
The February fundraiser followed a more modest one started by a loyal customer, which raised $20,000 in additional funds. The $250,000 was intended to go towards hiring a general manager, hiring an events manager, and fixing the A.C. system in the East Village café.
When the Brooklyn venue closed regardless, Boris & Horton reportedly received death threats and angry accusations that they had misappropriated the donated funds. “We know that many of you donated in the hopes of keeping Brooklyn open, and we are heartbroken to let you down. This was not a decision we made lightly,” the owners wrote in another social media post. They cited weak sales.
The owners also announced the closure by posting notices at the café proper, where they asked neighbors to help its workers with an increasingly probable change of employment. “Please tip generously and email info@borisandhorton.com if you know of any gigs that might be of interest to our amazing team,” the flyers read.
A couple of employees told Straus News that Holzman and Mikhly wouldn’t be conducting press interviews on the closure, and provided no further comment. It’s unclear what sort of assistance the two owners are providing to their workforce themselves.
Fittingly enough, Boris and Horton is named after Holzman and Mikhly’s dogs. It’s undeniably became a hub for the many canine lovers that reside in New York, and has hosted events ranging from dog-inclusive trivia nights to exercise bingo. If a buyer does not come forward, it will perhaps be remembered as the first dog café to achieve certification by New York State’s Department of Health, which it achieved by separating its pooch lounge and its café.