![\"The](\"https:\/\/missiontimescourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/IMG_6545webtop.jpg\")
<\/a>(Foto por Genevieve Suzuki)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cI named the fox \u2018Theodore\u2019 and the raccoon \u2018Barbara,\u2019 after my grandparents,\u201d she said. \u201cWhile watching a mother raccoon that came to my porch with her babies [one] night, I was reminded of my grandmother. While incredibly loving and caring, my grandmother will also let you know when you are out of line or acting a fool, much like a mother raccoon. My grandfather is the sly trickster of the family; it only seemed appropriate to make him a fox.\u201d<\/p>\n
The dolls lining the shelves in the little shop, which looks like a crafty Etsy store brought to life, are a sharp contrast to the gadgetry that inhabited the space before Bowen opened Handmade.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am quite familiar with Grossmont Center as I have been a patron for about 20 years. \u2026 It seemed like a very comfortable place for me to begin my shop,\u201d said Bowen, who also lives in La Mesa.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to open in Grossmont Center on a whim,\u201d she admits. \u201cI was walking through one day to find the perfect birthday present for my stepfather when I passed the open space I am now in. After spending over an hour trying to find a unique gift, it occurred to me that you cannot really find such a thing at the mall.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Handmade, Bowen sold her work online. She still operates three shops on Etsy: Her main site is LilyandPeabody, where she began with large-scale knitting and debuted her stuffed animals. After the animals took off, she gave them their own shop: TheKittyGram. Her third shop, EdithBarnswallow, focuses on larger home d\u00e9cor items. In the coming months, Bowen said the site will host a children\u2019s book series called Big Kitty and Edie\u2019s Magical Adventures, complete with corresponding mini stuffed characters.<\/p>\n For those of us who prefer to touch, see and squeeze our prospective stuffed pals, Bowen\u2019s brick-and-mortar shop offers both ready-made stuffed animals and the opportunity for customers to pick a new animal for her to make along with their choice of colors and facial expressions. Bowen\u2019s little zoo features cats, dogs, an opossum, a skunk and an owl. She has also made wolves, pigs, sloths, rabbits and whales. Bowen also creates stuffed animals modeled after beloved pets.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can send me a photo of their pet and I will match their color, markings, and hopefully, their personality,\u201d Bowen.<\/p>\n<\/a>
are crafted by shop owner Katharine
Bowen and given their own names.
(Foto por Genevieve Suzuki)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n