Yes, dogs are a man’s best friend, but one Hudson County local wants to ensure we don’t skip over cats. A woman inspired by the love and joy her cats bring started a store specializing in the care and keeping of our feline friends. Meow Mini Mart at 57 Congress Street in Jersey City is open to help educate cat owners and provide cute cat decor in Hudson County. We’re not kitten around — this store is purrfect for the cat lover in your life. Read about the owner’s inspiration for opening the store and why she chose Jersey City.
The Inspiration For Meow Mini Mart
Owner Sherry Cassin says the inspiration to open her feline wellness store came from her love of her cats. She adopted her black cat, Laszlo, in 2015 and noticed he was overgrooming and licking himself bald in several spots. After a few too many visits to the vet and several hundred dollars later, Sherry says the cause came down to a food intolerance. She devoted many hours to researching what kinds of food could help Laszlo and discovered a raw food diet was the best solution for him. After transitioning him to fresh foods, Sherry says Laszlo stopped overgrooming and his fur grew back.
Amazed by his improvement, Sherry started blogging about how the raw food diet changed both Laszlo and her lives. She decided to continue learning about cat nutrition and the benefits of a fresh food diet. She says she enjoyed sharing her findings online so readers could consider transitioning their furry friends to the raw food diet, too.
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Around 2017, Sherry retired from a career in fashion retailing and wanted to look for a role that not only filled her soul but also gave back to her community. She started volunteering for The Lucky Cat Rescue, a shelter providing space for cats in Hudson County, and attending other cat conventions in the Tri-State area. “I knew that I had found my ‘tribe’ and that I would build a business concept around it to help other cat parents give their cats a better life with a few small lifestyle shifts, starting with the diet,” Sherry told The Hoboken Girl.
Meow Mini Mart started as an online store in 2018. It focused on cat toys, treats, and other gifts for cat owners. Sherry says she wanted to give back and raise money through sales to donate to local cat rescue groups in New Jersey.
Sherry then took her business to the streets, doing pop-up events at local street fairs, like the Hoboken Art and Music Festivals, the Garden State Cat Show and Expo, and other markets around Hudson County. By connecting with cat lovers at these events, Sherry says she learned how underserved many cat owners felt by the pet industry.
“They complained that so many of the pet stores seemed to focus mostly on the dogs and often offered higher quality food and treats for the dogs than for their cat customers,” Sherry told HG. “They also complained that many of the sales help couldn’t address their cat’s needs as many had never had a cat as a pet.” It inspired her to start planning a brick-and-mortar store dedicated to caring for cats and opened Meow Mini Mart in July 2023.
Welcoming Jersey City With Open Paws
Because of Sherry’s love for volunteering with local cat rescue groups, she became familiar with several spots throughout Hudson County with active cat rescue efforts. She says she loved the village vibe of The Heights in Jersey City, with cute homes, vibrant shopping areas, and wonderful cafes and restaurants. When she learned more about the effort to help stray cats in the area, Sherry says she knew her shop could help them on several levels.
Meow Mini Mart sells cat supplies for every type of cat owner, and Sherry loves to give advice and share her expertise on how to be a successful cat owner. Sherry says she loves to help cat owners and chat with them in her store, but she also has tons of blog posts online. Cat lovers can learn about volunteering with rescue groups, and fostering cats, or browse a holiday gift guide for your furry friends.
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As for Sherry, she is the proud cat mom to three cats right now. Laszlo, Beau, and Bouvier are all indoor cats that each have their own vibrant personalities, according to Sherry. She also rescued an outdoor female cat last summer that returns to her backyard every now and then for a snack.
Meow Mini Mart at 57 Congress Street in Jersey City is open Tuesday through Sunday.
