Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalie Garcia.
Hi Natalie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been running Maeday Rescue for ten years and we were doing adoption events all over town. Since I’ve learned so much about animals through my work with the rescue, it seemed like the next logical step to open a rescue space where we can hold adoption events (pre-Covid), meet and greets, and put our knowledge of animals to more good use. My wife, Maria, and I decided to open a pet supply business which could help support the rescue. We’ve been open for a year and a half and things are going really well. The people in the neighborhood have been very supportive of us and we’re getting busier every day. We have a backyard for meet and greets and we have a lot of items in the store which are sold for the rescue, which gets 100% of those proceeds.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We feel very lucky that things are going so well. Neither of us had a background in retail and had never even worked in a store. But we plunged in and we’re learning as we go. The pandemic hit when we had only been open about six months, but we’re considered an essential business, so we’ve been open all along. So, no real obstacles.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a pet supply store in Silverlake that carries products for dogs and cats. We strive to carry sustainable, eco-conscious products that come from ethical companies. We have many brands that come from small farms that raise the animals in a humane environment. We also carry many brands from small, women-owned companies. We have a great deal of knowledge about dogs and cats, so we are able to answer most questions people have about their pets’ needs. We’re enjoying the fact that many people know us now and come in for a chit chat and a treat while they’re walking their dogs. We are also offering puppy socialization in our backyard since so many people have gotten puppies during the pandemic and have no way to introduce them to other people or dogs due to social distancing. We sell a number of products from which 100% of the proceeds go to Maeday Rescue.
Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to rescue more cats and dogs, educate people on spay and neuter and to hope people will continue to support more small, women owned businesses instead of giant corporations.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.maedayrescue.com/outpost
- Instagram: @maedayoutpost and @maedayrescue
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/maeday-outpost-los-angeles?osq=maeday+outpost
