Khamila “Kitty” Barnes, an Abington Senior High School and Penn State Abington graduate, launched Kitty On Top Bartending in Glenside in 2021.
A mother, wife, and certified mixologist, Barnes describes herself as an “an accidental entrepreneur.”
“I’ve always had a love for libations and hospitality. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I was at my grandparents’ house, and a commercial came on with a bartender,” she said. “From that moment, I knew I wanted to do exactly what he did. It was all about the environment, energy, and ambience of that commercial.”
Fast forward roughly a decade, Barnes entered the corporate world and started looking for secondary income. She graduated from bartending school in 2014, after which she started building her business model.
“From 2015-2019, I was gathering information and making contacts. I started getting more and more gigs and referrals, so I got my LLC and continued to grow,” she said.
Kitty On Top is a mobile bartending business which serves private and corporate clients at weddings, graduations, charity events, parties, and housewarmings, among others. Past events include a competition with 150 employees of Comcast’s legal team, the grand opening for the U.S. World of Flight, Wawa 4 America, the African American Museum, annual tailgate events, and more.
“We’ve had a number of corporate groups come on site to do a class for their teams,” Barnes said.
In addition to catering special events, Kitty On Top also offers cocktail-making classes in Barnes’ husband’s DSQ Photography Studio, which is also in Glenside. Classes are roughly an hour and a half and are held year-round.
“Some of our classes are seasonal so that people can learn to make cocktails for Christmastime and summertime, for example,” she said. “One of our most popular classes is Halloween-themed. We made a cocktail in little pumpkins and we used a cobweb garnish. This summer, we’ll bring back the black-owned spirts and wines.”
Kitty On Top owns six satellite pop-up bars and offers a variety of packages.
“Clients have the option to hire a professional bartender to delegate an event. We also have packages where we act as a dry-hire experience, through which we provide everything but the alcohol—fresh-pressed juices, napkins, straws, plasticware, a customized menu and decor, and more,” she said.
“I want people to understand that the experience is fun and catered to newcomers. I strongly encourage people who have a love of libations to experience at least one cocktail class,” she said. “Each of our classes is unique, and I am there to help along the way. I’ll teach you how to shake, stir, muddle, pair, and beyond. It’s the art and science of cocktails and mocktails.
For more on Kitty On Top, located at 2544 Fairhill Avenue (Abington Township), you can visit their website, Instagram, and Facebook pages.
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Photos: Khamila Barnes