We started this pet art business in 2022 after my husband and I adopted our first cat, Kiwi, and here we are today.

So, who exactly are we?!

We are a husband and wife duo that simply created a little art concept for pets that has somehow grown into an actual business and dare I say, a movement? Maybe not a full movement yet, but I’m sure we’ll get there at some point.

Growing up, I was always an animal lover. I had numerous hamsters and turtles because that was the only pet I was allowed to have at a young age. While I was in high school, we got a family dog from the Humane Society, a Jack Russell mix named Jack Daniels. The Humane Society is also where I volunteered for my high school community service. I went over and beyond the minimum required amount and honestly, it helped me get through my senior year. I hope to get back into volunteer work later this year. After high school, I went into college and that would be the next gear to this journey.

Jamil and I met in 2010 during our college years where we both graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology. Jamil continued to a master’s degree and would start work in the technology field while I went immediately (after a few months of job searching and applying, actually) into the work field for a small online boutique. This path that I took would later be the foundation for my knowledge when it comes to using Shopify, understanding and filing taxes, understanding shipping with USPS and most importantly, the ins and outs of having a small business with products and inventory.

We decided to spend two years living in Los Angeles, California which was amazing! Getting out of your hometown is something that we believe everyone should do if they’re able to. This new path wasn’t all tacos and mountains; we went through a lot of hits — one of which was a car accident that totaled our car leaving us car-less in California which wasn’t as much fun. The car accident would make us slow down and change our focus…enter Kiwi.

Kiwi the Cat

We adopted Kiwi in May 2022 when she was just 2 months old. We met her foster mom Sierra on a random trip to Joshua Trees where we were taking some anniversary photos. Sierra, apart from being a cat foster mom, was also a photographer and her original clients got stuck in California traffic when she saw us struggling with our tripod and offered to take some photos for us.

When I say I became obsessed with Kiwi, I do not mean that lightly. She quickly became my world and I wanted only the best for her. We got her everything her little heart could ever want — a huge cat tree, different types of toys to see what her style of play was, the cutest tag and collar combo from Etsy and a variety of can food to figure out the best diet for her. She wasn’t big into wet food until I tricked her with some string cheese (she goes feral for cheese) and now she does really well with wet food.

One thing to note: Jamil and I were always thinking of what’s next, what can we do to be free, even during college. Having a 9–5, while necessary for us to live, wasn’t what we imagined for our lives. While living in California, Jamil’s remote job was slowly coming to an end as the world was getting a better handle on the pandemic. One night over dinner, we looked over at Kiwi and realized we might have something special. Jamil with his art skills had done some pet portraits and I with my sewing skills could make cute collars for pets. We initially offered two sizes for canvas paintings and a 1" acrylic circle tag that we named Pet Portrait Tag. I contributed making collars for cats and dogs, and our first ever market sale was actually a galaxy cat collar! This was the foundation for kiwi & WILLOW and it all started with a thought of ‘we can do this’.

One thing led to another, market after market, and after meeting and talking to so many people, we grew and expanded into who we are now. Still an art focused pet company, just now with more offerings. For pets and their humans, we offer collars and bandanas, pet keychains and custom pet portraits; soon, we will be adding embroidery products for even more customizations!