In honor of National Pet Week, meet the inspiration behind our Brittany Satchel. Our former team member now has her own pet accessories business!
You've probably noticed that all of our handbags are named after inspirational women -- some famous, some famous to the people who love them. Our Brittany satchel/crossbody is named for our own former team member, Brittany Harper. She worked summers during college at K. Carroll Accessories and we are so proud of the accomplishments she has made since then.
We asked Brittany some questions about what she's been doing the last few years and how she started her business!
Tell us about your business, Mutts & Meows. What does your business do?
Mutts & Meows is in the business of making accessories for fur babies and their humans. We handcraft bandanas, bow ties and neck ties for our four-legged friends as well as scrunchies for humans! When we travel to craft shows we also sell various handmade signs, treat jars, bottle openers and more. We also just added face masks to the website.
What was the inspiration for the business?
Mutts & Meows launched in late 2018 after I got my first puppy, Gunner. He was the inspiration behind the business. After seeing all the cute accessories for dogs, I decided to dust off my sewing machine and make Gunner his own accessories. What started as making a few bandanas quickly expanded to making bandanas for the fur babies of my family and friends. And now, here we are!
How difficult was it to get the business started? How did you take that "leap"?
I would not have been able to start this business without the support of my family and friends. It was with their encouragement and help that I finally made the decision to take that leap and turn my passion of crafting into a business. Starting a business has not been easy. When you’re a patron, you don’t think about all of the things that go on behind the scenes. I quickly learned that I would need to focus on starting a website, building my social media presence and much more.
What has been the most exciting moment of your business so far?
The most exciting moment so far was when my website finally went live in 2019. It took so much hard work and learning to get everything to look and run the way I wanted. I had a pro (my aunt) by my side from the beginning doing all the photo shopping and helping me out with the back-end details to get the website up and running. All that hard work really paid off when my aunt and I were finally able to launch the website to the public!
You're no stranger to K. Carroll Accessories! You worked there during the summer while in college. What did you learn there that applies to your business today?
While working at K. Carroll Accessories I learned that hard work and persistence pays off. Everyone at the company was always so friendly, professional, supportive, and knowledgeable in every aspect of their daily work. It was through them that I learned the importance of customer service and that doing the best for your customers should always be the top priority. Most of my time with the company was spent tagging items and packing up orders in the warehouse. While doing this, I learned the importance of being precise and making sure everything that gets delivered to the customer is of the highest quality. I always keep this in mind when sending orders to my own Mutts & Meows customers.
What advice would you give other entrepreneurs just starting out?
It’s ok to be afraid, but don’t give up! Ask a lot of questions, because you don’t know what you don’t know when you first start out. Seek advice from other business owners but continue to do your own research. Study businesses that sell similar products so you can figure out a way to stand out among the crowd. Lastly, don’t be scared to take chances, learn from your mistakes, and always move forward!
Is there anything else you would like people to know about you?
The Mutts & Meows crew is made up of three cats (Zeus, Winston and Cheeto) and a German Shepherd (Gunner). They don’t help much with the sewing, but they make the perfect models for our products. We have a passion for animals of all kinds and there is nothing that makes us happier than seeing the joy our items bring to fur babies and their humans. As we continue to grow, we would love to begin donating to local shelters so we can help all the animals that don’t yet have homes of their own!
Shop the Brittany in four beautiful snakeskin prints.
Shop the matching bandana and all Brittany's pet accessories at
Take 10% for National Pet Week through May 10, 2020.
Use code PETWEEK10
