Mary is on our Dream Team and wanted to start making cat toys for the shop. She came up with the cutest cat nip handsewn fabric toys. We love when our team creativity shines through.
Business Name
Steel Petunia
What neighborhood do you live in?
Mount Washington
Tell us the story about your brand. Why is it the best?
I picked up on the absence of quality toys for cats while I was assisting customers at love, Pittsburgh. And suddenly, Steel Petunia was born.
What is your background? How did it lead you to starting your brand?
I’ve worked in the hospitality and retail industries for many years. Creativity has been woven into my “fabric” for as long as I remember. Upon retirement from full-time employment, I decided to forge the two into one by creating my own brand.
Even though I have a state of the art sewing machine, I prefer to work on my 1948 singer featherweight.
What one product do we need to know about and why?
That’s hard for me to nail down. Currently, love, Pittsburgh carries two of the cat toys I’ve created. The kitty pierogi comes from my Eastern European and Yinzer roots. The kitty teabags are my labor of love.
In three words, why do you love Pittsburgh?
Real, Gritty, Friendly
How can people find out more about you? (Website, Etsy, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc.)
By coming into the love, Pittsburgh store stores and talking to me about my passion project. I’m also currently developing an Instagram page that will hopefully launch in January 2025.