April Gadler, a native of Butte, Montana, moved into the Southern California area at the age of 15. She finished high school at Troy High School in Fullerton, and attended Fullerton College where she got her Associated Arts Degree in Theatre Directing. She spent the next ten years working in theatre groups in the Orange County area.      Following the birth of her son Nicholas in 1986, she decided that the theatre life was no longer the path she wanted to follow and she developed an interest in ceramic art. She studied for 4 years under ceramic artist, Donna Banning where she developed her unique style of art.      One evening while she was quietly sitting , petting her sister's black Burmese cat, Sinbad, she noticed that he had brilliant yellow eyes, not the normal green eyes associated with most black cats. She had been making and selling ceramic masks during the "mask craze" of the late 80's and got the idea of making a cup with the cat's long curly tail for the handle. She also incorporated the yellow eyes which are still standard on the black cats today. The first two "CoffeeCats" were made in 1990 and she took them to Rutabegorz restaurant in Tustin. By the next day they had sold. She then started making them and selling them at Rutabegorz in Tustin and Irvine, and at PJ Meads in Orange. Today they are sold in Nashville,TN, York England, Seattle, WA, Winthrop, WA, Poplar Bluffs, MO, Palm Springs, CA, Forest Ranch, CA, and businesses throughout Orange County, CA.      Each year the city of Orange holds the "International Street Fair" over the Labor Day weekend, and April has had a booth there for the last four years. "Many of the people visiting our booth were asking about a web site, so we decided it was time to set it up and sell direct to the public."       We have also provided a list of businesses where "CoffeeCats" can be purchased for those of you who want to pick out your cup in person.
Above: April Gadler Below: AristoKatz in Palm Springs. One of the may fine shops that sell Coffee Cats

You can E-Mail April if you have any questions.