Oxford is a pet-loving town as evidenced by local businesses with animals. Hollywood Feed supports and embraces that love.
“Our focus is to keep our products competitive with products of similar quality to those made overseas,” Natasha Mounsey, manager of Oxford’s Hollywood Feed, said. “Our aim is to prove it is not more expensive to buy ‘Made in USA’ merchandise. We have dog beds made locally in north Mississippi. We sell our own treats and products such as dog soaps, which are made in Mississippi too.”
The store’s assistant manager, Patrick Manning, greets customers with a firm handshake. He showed a small colorful stand titled “Heart of Eden.” Mississippi-shaped soap bars crowd the black shelves. Their names are creative: “Love Spell Lotion Bar,” “Lick Me All Over,” “Butt Naked in Bed,” and “Black Tie Bar for Men.”
Daily Blessings Farm, located in Hernando, Miss., makes these soap bars out of goat milk or organic coconut milk paired with essential oils. Daily Blessings also makes natural pet shampoo with goat milk and fur spritzers just for dogs. According to its website, it is currently developing a shampoo line for cats. Daily Blessings works with Hollywood Feed to sell quality pet care. Manning took a sample container off the shelf and dipped his finger in it. He rubbed his hands and said, “Their skin butter is good for your skin, too. You can use it on your hands or your dog’s paws.”
A short walk over from the stand reveals rows of dog beds of all sizes and colors. There are a few red and blue prints reminiscent of Ole Miss colors. The fabrics selection is both cotton and microfiber.
“These beds here are made in Tupelo, just down the highway from Oxford,” Manning said. “The beds are made for Hollywood Feed. These beds are durable and create jobs here for Mississippians.”
Mounsey said in clarification: “I would say the fiber comes from Tupelo, much of the fabric comes from Sherman, and we sew it all together in Verona.”
There is a video provided by Hollywood Feed on these dog beds: Hollywood Feed Premium Pet Products
Manning pointed to a wall laden with thick bags of jerky. The labels read ‘Made in Memphis.’
“We operate this way It’s better than having your products made in China and not knowing if it’s safe,” Manning said.
“Hollywood Feed stands by their customer satisfaction guarantee. We stand up to date on all recalls and product advancements. We are pet owners, too, and we are concerned about your pets too,” Mounsey said. “We want yours to feel as good as ours do.”
The customer satisfaction guarantee is beneficial for both the customers and the shelter animals. “We will find a better brand for you or refund you,” Manning said. “And the returns are donated to the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society.”
“Each store works closely with local rescue groups, veterinarians and trainers and groomers,” Mounsey added. “This past Saturday was our first adoption event with the Humane Society.”
On Saturday Jennifer Petermann, director of OLHS, brought three kittens and four dogs to Hollywood Feed for the store’s first adoption event. The store provided gift bags for those who adopted pets. Each bag was filled with samples, chicken jerky, toys and treats for the hopeful soon-to-be-pets.
“I feel like Saturday’s event was a success! We got a lot of positive feedback, and we adopted out three animals: one dog and two kittens. We’re looking forward to coming back there,” Petermann said.
The store also works with Ohana Rescue Centre, a local non-profit pitbull rescue. And the store has one animal from the OLHS present each day until he or she is adopted. The shelter dog hangs out in the front of the store just behind the desk with the store employees’ dogs that enjoy greeting customers with a wet nose.
For the store’s future, Manning said there is a possibility of student discounts as well as potentially price-matching to any lower price of the same brand sold elsewhere. Manning said that Hollywood Feed is still on the lookout for more locally made pet products for them to make available at their outlets.
To learn more about Hollywood Feed’s beginnings go to www.hollywoodfeed.com. The Oxford store is located 2210 West Jackson Avenue.
Callie Daniels, HottyToddy.com staff writer, can be reached at callie.daniels@hottytoddy.com.
Hollywood Feed Promotes Local Products
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