A vendor at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market is working to provide quality pet treats and accessories ahead of the holiday season.
Jennifer Wiatrowski, owner and sole employee of Thistle Hill Pet Treats, has been selling dog treats and bandanas made by hand in the region for two years.
A Staunton resident, Wiatrowski said she used previous experience to form her new business.
“In Florida, I was a quilter,” Wiatrowski said.
“I was also a biology professor, but I met a lady who made dog treats, and she wanted dog accessories, like the bandanas, for her market booth, so I just started sewing and hanging out with her at a market.
I’d never worked markets before.
I’d always loved them, but I’d never worked at one.
I went with her and just fell in love with it.”
Now, after selling dog treats and bandanas at the farmers market for two years, Wiatrowski said she is building up a regular clientele and finding some products emerge as her most popular.
“I think my business has grown a lot,” Wiatrowski said.
“The best-selling bandana size is extra-large.
Extra-small is actually really close.
I’ve just been getting to know all the local dogs and cats.
I love it when people bring a cat to the market.
I’m not sure how it is for the cat, but I love it.”
Wiatrowski said she regularly rotates out her selection of bandanas throughout the year, offering collections using different fabrics for spring, summer, fall, and the winter holiday season, with the fall collection being trendy.
In addition, Wiatrowski said she offers custom bandanas, with customers able to request fabric combinations for the reversible pet accessories.
While Wiatrowski said she spends approximately 25 minutes on a single bandana, she added that she makes them in large batches, working on anywhere from 60 to 100 bandanas all at one time, making each one by hand.
She said she was considering hiring a part-time employee to free up her schedule to pursue other product ideas.
“Over two days, it’s probably 16 hours’ worth of sewing,” Wiatrowski explained.
“What people don’t realize when you make a bandana is, you know, you have to cut it, everything’s hand cut.
Then you have to press it, pin it, then you sew it, then you have to flip it right-side out, then you have to press it again, then you have to top-stitch it, then you have to add snaps.
It’s quite a number of steps.”
In addition, Wiatrowski said she also offers fabric fridge magnets, waste bag pouches, and bowties that attach to pet collars made from the same material as her bandanas.
She said this variety stems from a desire to reduce the amount of scrap fabric she throws away.
“When it comes to the bandanas, I always want things to be very high-quality,” Wiatrowski said.
“I want things to last, so I sew these to last many years.
I even replace worn-out snaps for people.
I really don’t like the throw-away society, so I want to make something people can use forever.
One of the things I taught was environmental science for years.
This is why having scrap piles drives me crazy.
I don’t like throwing things away.
I don’t like waste.”
Wiatrowski said any quilters who need fabric scraps for their projects were free to contact her.
While her business keeps her busy much of the year, Wiatrowski said she appreciates the creative freedom it offers her.
“It’s been very busy,” Wiatrowski said.
“It’s a lot of fun.
I wouldn’t say there aren’t moments I question my life choices.
I definitely miss my old schedule.
I was a senior biologist, so I had a 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
schedule four days a week.
It was pretty nice.
Now, I’m probably working 80 hours a week, but it is my own, which means I can if I want to give away treats to the dogs.
Nobody’s going to tell me ‘no.’”
Wiatrowski said she hoped to offer new products like cat toys in 2025.