Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Carlisle.
Hi Shelly, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I spent many years in a corporate environment, holding a few different roles but finally landing in one that actually felt like I was supporting a community. I channeled all my energy into helping my team members move ahead in the business or learn transferable skills to help them achieve their goals. Even so, I never felt at home in that environment and was afraid I would have a long unfulfilling career with nothing to show for it. But circumstances in the industry changed and I had the opportunity for a little buyout and funneled that money in the dream of Spacecat. I started out doing pop-ups in 2018 in bars and breweries in Ferndale and Detroit, usually working with small appliances and warmers on a long table, a couple of outlets, and stupid optimism. For nearly two years I operating this way, experimenting with menu items and getting feedback from wonderful customers while trying to learn what I needed to make Spacecat a more tangible reality. There was no other place to open a spot than in Ferndale as far as I was concerned, so I set about looking for a permanent home here. in 2019. I secured the perfect spot in March 2020 and moved in later that year. I clumsily navigated construction projects and interviewed vendors and mostly flew by the seat of my pants to build Spacecat into what I had envisioned.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The first bump in the road was Covid and all the actual roadblocks as well as the anxiety that brought. The world shut down for Covid just as I found the perfect real estate spot. So, once I could start design and construction, I jumped right in with both feet and plowed ahead. I learned quickly how to swim through all the red tape and met some helpful people from the city who were very supportive of my plans. Like any small business trying to operate during that time, there were numerous delays in shipments and supplies were limited. Just meeting people to discuss working together was problematic and not the warm introductory meetings I was hoping for. Nonetheless, I was able to find some wonderful vendors who share my sensibilities and have similar business perspectives.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Spacecat V-stro is a vegetarian comfort food restaurant on a mission to offer delicious and interesting meat-free dishes as well as create a welcoming spot for everyone and a safe and supportive environment for our team. We make most of our food from scratch—proteins, sauces, cheese sauce, and more–because we want to be able to stand behind what we feed you. We set ourselves apart from other restaurants with this extra effort and with the care and time we put into every menu item. Even with the extra time needed to prep all of our food, we are committed to keeping our prices low to make nutritious and delicious vegetarian food accessible to everyone. We would rather see people come multiple times a week for their favorite flavors than be a special once-a-year fancy destination. We aim to be inclusive to everyone who wants to spend time with Spacecat, so we offer eggs and dairy cheese options so that our vegan/vegetarian friends can bring their pals and family without anyone feeling like they aren’t welcomed. I think in the end the biggest way in which we set ourselves apart is by the genuine care we all have and demonstrate for our customers. I really think we have built a wonderful community and can’t think of a better sign of success. (I believe my bookkeeper could think of a better sign… but I can’t 🙂 )
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
From the moment I left my stable, paycheck-producing job to throw all of my energy into building something from nothing with no blueprint and just naive hope, my husband Christo has been my biggest supporter and has always been a believer in Spacecat. I have been lucky enough to have been surrounded with wonderful hard-working friends and family who tirelessly worked the pop-ups, attended the pop-ups or even just listened to me go on about day-to-day challenges. There are touches of my talented friends in my logo, my menu design, the beautiful shelves in my dining room, art that hangs on our walls, the back garden, and even the booth tables in the dining room. I am so proud of my team, most of whom do not come from the restaurant industry. Each of them brings special skills and a unique perspective to the table and together they have created a warm spirit that is the heart of Spacecat.
Contact Info:
- Website: spacecatvstro.com
- Instagram: @spacecat_vstro
- Facebook: @spacecatvstro
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/spacecat-v-stro-ferndale?uid=_X5OWIJ9gmGWo06rHBZdPQ&utm_source=ishare
