Meow Match: Linds, Pierre & Biko
I've always been the crafty sort. When I was a child it was making clothing for my dolls out of tissue paper and scotch tape. When I was in school it was photography, painting, drawing, and stained glass. Finding work in the arts always proves to be hard, so I found myself employed with not much time left for crafts and creativity.
Just like every other feline enthusiast out there, I love to spoil my two little Burmese bundles of joy. I was constantly on the prowl for a cute new bed or a fun new toy. I often found myself disappointed by the materials used in beds, the fabric patterns, and mostly the fact that everything was made overseas by someone who may have no interest in what would please a finnicky feline. I decided that the best way to solve my problem was to start making a product that was exactly what my cats and I would both enjoy.
I had never been a sewer really, I had only ever altered snowboard pants or shirts so they would be a bit tighter, and I had turned old worn out t-shirts into very basic quilts. Sewing proved to be quite fun though, and I had quite a long trial and error period of how to sew things and what materials were best for longevity and softness. I'm still learning things every day that I sew- trying out new ideas and creating new types of products. I also started creating toys that didn't involve sewing, like wand and feather toys. Those are a big hit in any feline household.
My kitties would immediately use whatever I presented before them, so I knew I was on the right track. I started making more beds and toys to send to other kitty friends and the gifts were well received. After putting some of my products up on Etsy, I started to get opportunities to vend at cat shows thanks to a dear friend of mine, Deborah. She is an awesome breeder of Bombays and Burmese cats [The Darkside Bombay] and is a distributer for Blue Ridge Beef and a few other edible products that kitties adore [Best Of Breed LLC]. Going to cat shows is super fun for me, and I love all of the people there. I have found that the most fun projects are the custom orders that I recieve. It makes the end product that much more special, because it really satisfies what a person is looking for in a bed for their best feline friend.
I live with four really great product testers. Two of those testers are my beautiful Burmese kitties: Pierre and Biko. The others are two awesome cream European Burmese cats named Zeus and Apollo. My husband Nic is also very helpful because he creates all of the videos for the website and social media, as well as gives us his unending love and support :)
With Meow Match, I am trying to fill the void in the market for cat products that are handmade with quality materials sourced from small, U.S. based businesses.
