Barking Cat Studio adds more arts and crafts classes that cater to tweens, teens, and adults.
A toy designer by trade, Karen Merbaum first opened Barking Cat Studio in 2009. “I was really beginning to feel uninspired by my work,” says Merbaum. “Around that same time, the 
neighborhood started to change with a lot of new families and young kids in the area.”
Seeing the need in her community for kids to have an artistic outlet, Merbaum decided to use her business to fill the void left by the disappearing arts programs in schools.
From there, Barking Cat Studio blossomed and now includes classes and workshops for tweens, teens, and adults as well as birthday parties to fill the ever-growing needs of the community.
“We listen to the parents and what they need,” says Maria Petulla, Barking Cat Studio’s marketing manager. “We found most people wanted to have birthday parties here. When we looked at our space, a one-room studio, we decided to renovate the interior to give people more elbow room.” In addition to re-evaluating the space to meet more people’s needs, the ladies at Barking Cat Studio re-launched the business to “spread their wings” in other ways.
Some of those wing-spreading additions include a growing staff, a toddler program (working with kids as young as 18 months), and an upcoming mini art camp where kids can get creative for hours at a time.
Barking Cat Studio is located at 65 Bond Street in Boerum Hill. For more information, call 718-855-8050 or visit barkingcatstudio.net.
