A dog-gone good little business: Martha Harris runs Petal N Paw Prints
- Sarah Barr
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
by Sarah Barr
Staff Writer
A Newington resident has engineered a side hustle that’s really something to bark about.
Martha Harris, a civil engineer who works in Glastonbury, launched Petal N Paw Prints in 2023 and business has been blooming ever since.
“I primarily do custom pet portraits,” the Fairfield County native said. “People send in a photo. I do an illustration of their animal. I do greeting cards, birthday cards, and sympathy cards, and I’m introducing stickers that are dog and cat inspired.”
Harris doesn’t have a brick-and-mortar store. Her products are strategically placed in places like Hound and Home on Main Street in Newington, where she was one of its first vendors.
Owner Kayla Walker calls Harris “an incredibly talented artist and such a wonderful person to work with. It’s amazing to have someone with her talent right here in our community.”
Harris recently hosted a pop-up event for Hound and Home’s three-year anniversary. Her work can also be found at Wethersfield’s Mill Street Market Place, where she has a residency, and her cat-themed cards are available at Marcie’s Angels Cat Cafe in Glastonbury.
Beyond taking an art history class at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in engineering, Harris is a self-taught artist.
“I’ve always had a knack for art. I love being creative,” she said.
Art was always one of her favorite subjects in grade school because it was fun and came easy to her.
“Being an engineer full time, doing the pet artwork is a good contrast to engineering. There’s a lot of problem solving for engineering – math and analytics. It’s relaxing to be creative and draw, it’s like putting together a puzzle when you’re doing an artist piece.”
Although the pet part of the title is the popular attraction at the moment, Harris does floral illustrations as well.
“I’ve had commissions for bridal shower thank you cards with bouquet or floral drawings. I also have seasonal floral greeting thank you cards,” she said of fulfilling the promise of her products and delighting her customers.
There are plenty of raving five-star reviews posted on Etsy.
“Martha was very responsive to any edits I asked for. Her work made my doggies come to a new life and I cannot wait to make a shirt out of these,” reads one.
“Petal N Paw Prints is the best. Their products are all high quality and done so well. I always recommend their business,” another person wrote.
“The gift tags with my sweet pup’s face on them was perfect. Martha was responsive and was able to help create the perfect gift tags for a bachelorette event, adding a sweet bell to my pup’s drawing. Highly recommend,” another satisfied customer wrote.
“Beautiful work. I received my cards quicker than expected. Perfect customized graduation cards,” posted yet another person.
A woman named Anne went into greater detail.
“Our family experienced a profound loss when our beloved dog passed away, leaving an emptiness that seemed impossible to fill. Seeking a way to preserve his memory and keep his spirit alive, we turned to Martha, an incredibly talented artist, to create a portrait that would serve as a cherished keepsake,” she wrote.
“The portrait now holds a place of honor on our mantel where we can see it every day. It brings us comfort to know that our furry friend’s memory will forever be a part of our home. I would definitely order from her again.”
Harris admits that keepsakes for memorials are especially meaningful to clients. Her goal is to “capture the character of their animal. There’s emotion behind the picture. It’s special because it takes time to create, as opposed to snapping a picture.”
Although most of the requests that come her way are for dogs and cats, she’s done rabbits and even a goose.
The next step is to expand her product line, continue to place products in the stores that have been so loyal to her, and add more pop-up opportunities at pet-related events with Newington, her home of six years, getting priority.
No matter what, Harris wants her customers to come away with a smile, a warm memory, or even a laugh. That’s something to howl about. NL
For more information and to see a full line of products, look for her on Facebook and Instagram, visit etsy.com/shop/PetalNPawPrints or email petal.n.paw@gmail.com.