One of the things we've been working on for years and haven't gotten very far with is selling things/merch. Our motivation has been two-fold:
  1. A way to generate income we can use to provide greater support to organizations and causes we care about.
  2. A way to generate income for us that helps us keep our service rates as accessible as possible.
Because we don't want to generate a ton of waste, and we don't have the capacity to become a fulfillment center, we've looked at several Print on Demand (POD) options. We've never pulled the trigger on any of them because:
  1. With a core value of ours being supporting local artists and handmade things, putting our logo or artwork on mass produced very standard things doesn't sit right.
  2. Slapping our logo on mugs and notepads and T-shirts feels very not us.
  3. For all the convenience of POD, the margins are pretty slim, so we'd have to sell a whole of stuff that doesn't sit right or feel authentic to make any impact on our the goals of why we're exploring this at all.
LET'S COLLABORATE!
We let this languish for a long time when we couldn't find a great solution that worked for our overall goals, and both business and personal values. But in 2025, with long term programs and resources being unceremoniously yanked away from so many communities that need them more than ever, our desire to do something to support them while working to keep our services affordable has been reinvigorated.
 
So we want to work together with YOU to create a mutually beneficial product program. What does that look like? We're sharing some ideas and parameters below but we're also really wanting this to be a true collaboration so if you have an outside of this email box idea, hit reply and let us know!
  1. One product featured at a time - one per quarter. One organization or cause highlighted/donated to per quarter.
  2. Collaborating with local and regional artists to design and produce limited edition products. While we want these products to have a relationship to us and our business, we're 100% not sold on that meaning our logo is on everything. Want to illustrate a fun and creative interpretation of our dogs for a run of T-shirts or posters? Or maybe do a limited run of your handmade jewelry, candles, mugs, other things that nod to our color story? Something else entirely that we haven't thought of? There is also the possibility of tying in the product design to the organization or cause of that quarter.
  3. Selling through pre-orders to maintain the commitment to no waste.
Local artists get paid for their creativity and labor + 
Local organizations and causes get much needed monetary resources + 
Sam and Nathan keep their service fees low + 
No waste =
Can you say quadruple bottom line?
 
Of course, there's also the fact we'll be shouting from the rooftops, telling anyone who will listen about the amazing folks collaborating with us and the organizations we're supporting, so being involved will also generate every artist's favorite word: 
E X P O S U R E.
 
But, let's get real. Exposure doesn't buy groceries or dog medicine, so it's the cherry on top of the sundae, not a replacement for the ice cream, chocolate sauce, and oh man, I'm hungry, whipped cream! AKA, the cash money.
Thank you for being here,

Sam + Nathan

 
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8000 Westmoreland Avenue
Swissvale, PA 15218, United States

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