This story aired in the July 23, 2025 episode of Crosscurrents.
People in the Bay Area love their pets, and some areas have more dogs than kids. Which means, pets are big business here. Americans are spending about 240 million dollars every year on their animal companions.
So what are they buying?
KALW and Mosaic Journalism student reporter Erin Federigan visited a pet party in San Jose to talk to artists, vendors, and pet lovers about what inspires them.
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Story Transcript:
REPORTER: San Pedro Square is full of energy this Saturday. I see bunnies riding in tiny cars, friendly snakes draped around shoulders, and dogs strolling by in mini shoes. I am at the Pet Party run by a collaboration between Petty Party and Moment San Jose.
Vendors are lined up in the plaza, offering everything from custom stationery to gourmet pet treats. I pause at a booth covered in colorful pet stickers, keychains and cards, and ask the artist, Nicole Weedo, what inspired her to start her business Munespice.
She tells me that her interest in animals started when she was young.
NICOLE WEEDO: Being outside in nature with my family members, as well as like, enjoying creatures and animals, like friends' pets and my own. Definitely has all come together to shape my heart for sure.
REPORTER: Other vendors, like Christina Francisco, owner of Peach Pearl, where she sells stationery items and stickers says that her pets sparked her creativity.
CHRISTINA FRANCISCO: My husband actually wrote a whole album about our dog that just passed, he was getting old, so we wrote a whole album just for our dog.
REPORTER: It’s clear how much personal meaning and love goes into the work of these small vendors. I wondered, what does it take for a business like this to succeed?
CHRISTINA FRANCISCO: When she was a puppy she was a really picky eater. So I think what really sparked my creativity was finding treats and food for her as a picky eater.
REPORTER: That’s Christine Pham, owner of TreatsbyRumi. She sets herself apart by making fresh pet treats with no artificial ingredients.
CHRISTINE PHAM: I think people do enjoy finding something that's like healthier for your dog and that's always like a big thing here cause obviously we want our pets to live as long as possible..
REPORTER: Others, like Nicole Parra, owner of FossilForager, designs art, such as keychains, figures and stickers, for less common pets like reptiles or birds.
NICOLE PARRA: There's not a ton of art of this fish or this reptile or, you know, merch that pet owners of those animals would be able to get easily. And so that's sort of how I differentiate myself.
REPORTER: Many of the vendors I met today juggle the total workload of running their business alone. Like Victoria Llama who sells stickers and stationary goods through her business, Panty Cat.
VICTORIA LLAMA: I do everything in terms of being the artist, the production person, the manager, the marketing, I do all the customer support and so having the time to draw and then manufacture and then promote everything is a lot.
REPORTER: Across the US, there are 30 million solo businesses, but only 22 percent make more than 50,000 dollars a year.
Some vendors are also worried about how the political landscape could affect their ability to sustain their business. Like Alicia Cardell, owner of Buppydogs, who handmakes her stickers, stationary and apparel.
ALICIA CARDELL: We all know about the tariffs… I try my best to handmake everything as much as I can. But because the politics, the state of everyone right now, we’re not in a place to be able to spend on things we actually enjoy. We’re in survival mode right now and there are other priorities understandably.
REPORTER: The party took place on the same day as the No Kings Protest, so politics was on a lot of people’s minds. Even though there’s a lot of uncertainty on the horizon, these vendors are finding joy in making art about some of the things they love the most — their pets and creatures that inspire them.