Bags to help paws
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on November 17, 2014 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Amanda Edmundson, 12, sews the edges of a tote made from a dog food bag for her business Paws Unlimited. Amanda donates portions of her bag sales to the animal shelter and pet food pantry.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
As part of her business, Amanda also makes accessories for dogs including collars and her latest addition, dog jackets.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Amanda creates her totes out of all kinds of pet food bags and looks for ones with good color and design.
Amanda Edmundson is happy as long as she is working with animals.
She wants to open a pit bull shelter or a pet boutique.
"I have a lot of ideas," she said.
"Well, you're 12," her mother, Anne Edmundson, laughed.
Amanda is a seventh-grade home school student, and she is the entrepreneur behind Paws Unlimited. She makes totes out of recycled dog food bags. Twenty percent of her sales go to the animal shelter and pet food pantry.
"This is a proud mama moment," Anne said. "The money she keeps, she goes down to Walmart and buys more food. She's not buying toys. She's very modest."
Amanda recently sold the bags at Bark in the Borough, which was her first official venue.
Her bags are also displayed in Pet Supplies Plus.
The bags are priced depending on what she adds to them, although most are in the $5 to $10 range.
Ranging from the largest Purina dog bags to small cat food bags, her crafts serve a variety of purposes -- grocery totes, beach bags, wine bottle holders and gift bags.
Even her mother uses the bags in her day-to-day errands.
"I've heard people say they're good for going to Sam's," Amanda says.
The woven food bags are strong and can hold a lot of weight. Amanda sews handles onto the bags, sometimes using dog leashes or other small touches to make each bag unique.
Her mother says Amanda has always been business-minded.
"She started awhile ago with dog treats, but that didn't work. She couldn't find her voice," Anne said.
Amanda is shy, but happy to lend her voice to animals. Her business ventures have led her to become more independent.
"I don't have a business, she does," Anne said.
"I just have really been an animal lover. It's right up my alley," Amanda said.
She was invited to sell her bags at a Christmas bazaar, but turned down the opportunity so she could walk shelter dogs in the Christmas parade on Dec. 6.
Because, the 12-year-old said, there are more important things than a high sales volume.
After all, it's about the animals.
"She chose dogs over money," Anne said. "She loves her dogs."