[Posted December 4, 2020]
Sweet Pickles Designs has just opened up shop next to Hillsdale Liquor in the space previously occupied by the Hillsdale Post Office.
Owner Shana Freimark had been running her pet accessory business out of her home for ten years. In a twist on what is now the familiar work-from-home pandemic story, she was forced to move her business out of her home to a commercial space where she can more safely interact with employees who help her sew, package and ship her products.
Sweet Pickles Designs' new retail space features Freimark's own line of handmade cat and dog collars, bowties, leashes, bandanas, pet toys and beds, along with a selection of pet products from other local makers. Sweet Pickles Designs can be found in many other local retail stores as well as on Etsy.
As a regular at the old post office who stopped by frequently with batches of customer orders to ship, Freimark is very familiar with the space, which even back then featured pictures on its walls of Pickles the Cat, Freimark's muse and the namesake of her company.
A workshop is now installed in the second room of the store, where a remaining wall of post office boxes is a nostalgic throwback to the days of Postmaster Angie Hefflinger and her assistant Martha Younie, both Hillsdale institutions in their own right.
Bowties on cats? The possibilities for feline uncooperativeness sound limitless, but Freimark says, “Pickles is possibly the most finicky cat in the world. I tested the bowties on her and adjusted the size until I got it just right. Now we never hear of any issues with cats wearing them.”
--Valeurie Friedman
What's your pet's favorite fashion accessory? Let us know.