Youngstown music program “bursting at the seams,” expands to seventh location
Since Purple Cat’s start in 2003 in Youngstown, the program for adults with disabilities has expanded across six locations throughout the Mahoning Valley area.
The founder of Purple Cat Jimmy Sutman said the new Purple Cat Disco Garden at 107 W. Federal St. in Youngstown provides additional space for Golden String Radio and the Feral Cats Band musicians.
“We’re bursting at the seams for individuals with disabilities that want to participate in our music program Golden String Radio and our band, The Feral Cats, and so we needed more space,” Sutman said. “It’s going to be a day program focusing on music, but the front is going to be retail.”
This is the seventh Purple Cat location, just a short distance from the Purple Cat at 12 S. Phelps St. in Youngstown.
Director Jill Perencevic said they’ll be selling treats in the modified candy store on the first floor of The Purple Cat Disco Garden.
“When you walk in, it will be a little retail cafe area, and then in the back will be our day programming opportunities for our folks to learn their skills and their goals that they’re working on for the year,” Perencevic said. “But the cafe will be part of their day of programming as well.”
Perencevic explained that the Purple Cat Disco Garden won’t replace any of the other locations, but it’s an addition to those already existing spaces.
“We’ll still have a radio station, several band spaces and now we’ll have an area where there’s a retail store, there’s programming in the back,” she said. “It has a garage door that opens up so we can play impromptu concerts on the plaza during the summer when the weather is nice.”
She said Purple Cat is all about creating opportunities for adults in the Mahoning Valley area with disabilities.
Perencevic hopes to open the Purple Cat Disco Garden in the summer.
