Self-quarantine: A gReAT TiMe tO sTaRt A NEw BuSiNeSss

Hello!

If you're on this website, you probably follow Mac and Big Tony on Instagram (@macaroni.rigatoni). Or maybe you know about the work that Hannah Shaw, the Kitten Lady, does to help save little orphan kittens. Or you're absolutely lost and you've found yourself in a rabbit hole looking for a gift for the cat lover in your life.

In any case, we're genuinely glad you're here as we open a shop right at the start of what could be a long, distressing time in world history.

"Nothing will ever be the same again," folks say with varying degrees of hope or dread. "Do you know what causes a depression? One percent of the world population dying suddenly," others have joked. 

It's hard to stay hopeful. And it's downright absurd to ask folks to spend money on cat-themed gifts and apparel right now.

But whatever: this isn't a time to just quit over and over again like how I quit middle school soccer one day, signed up for then quit football the next day, then signed up for and quit swimming the day after that.

We're going ahead and opening a shop during the midst of what's likely the beginning of the great coronavirus quarantine of 2020. Why? Because it's good to start a new hobby anytime, and it's especially good to remember that hobbies don't need to be side hustles.

What this pandemic is making clear is that turning a profit can't be everything.

It's an unsurprising cliche but an earnest truth to say that the reward of the Instagram account has been getting to know a little bit about people through their comments, to hear from folks who say that a silly post brightened up a bad day.

So first off, a part of every sale will go toward the Orphan Kitten Club, from which Mac and Big Tony are graduates. And some goods will fully benefit the Orphan Kitten Club!

Second, we want folks who are artists to sell stuff through our shop. It's hard to get a platform, and frankly I don't fully believe that we deserve ours. If you're an artist or creator and you have an idea for a shirt, mug, poster, or whatever, and you might want to sell through us, get in touch by shooting us a DM on Instagram! I want to help you get your stuff out there!

Finally, we're new to this. Sometimes shipping costs can get wacky because we're using a few different vendors. I'm also genuinely not sure if all of our products are available right now due to supply chain issues. But if you have questions, again, feel free to shoot us an IG DM with SHOP ISSUE as the first two words. We'll get back to you sooner rather than later, I promise.

Thanks so much for reading all of that. And thanks for stopping through! Meowzers!