Houndstown is a sometimes unwieldy monster. Sometimes online, sometimes on Etsy, and sometimes in person and occasionally on the phone, it is a concept that is tough for even I, the creator, to grasp.
Houndstown started the way so many small ventures begin-from a simple idea of "I can do this...but better...". Twelve years ago a sweet, meek greyhound came into my life. Online collar ordering was simply not meeting the needs of dressing a brindle male pup-it's a surprisingly tough task.
After messing around with fabrics, hardware, and an unruly 30 year old sewing machine (not to mention having to learn to sew from my mother-the owner of said machine...) for a month or so, I had a collar or three that weren't too terribly bad-by my standards at the time, anyway.
Fast forward eleven years. Houndstown is now in it's own facility, and I am the proud (lol) owner of multiple industrial sewing machines, bar tackers, webbing cutters....you name it. I have learned more about industrial manufacturing in the past year than I ever cared to!
As much as I joke about sewing for a living (yes, I STILL do some of the sewing!!), there's nothing else I would rather do.
Etsy has become an integral part of Houndstown, and I believe it will continue to not only offer us an additional outlet for our products, but will move Houndstown in a new direction as we expand our markets and offerings. Etsy has filled a part of our business needs that I never knew existed-and it has quickly become my favored method of bringing our products to our devoted fans and customers.