Cat Lady Alley Goes to CatCon!
Being local here in Southern California, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend CatCon every year except once. Last year, I was even invited as media because of my two cat blogs. I’ve always dreamed about participating in CatCon in some way, and when I opened my shop, that was my opportunity!
So, let me show you how I spent the first weekend in August and share the largest pop culture cat event with you!
A Look at CatCon
Before I get to my participation at the event, let’s take a quick look at all that CatCon offers.
Thousands of cat lovers unite each year at this event for meet and greets with famous cats (and cat people), panels and discussions, cat and kitten adoptions, live entertainment, and of course shopping. And this year, they expanded to a second exhibit hall.
Here’s a peek at what you can expect! Note that many of these photos were taken before the show opened, as it was too busy for me to leave my booth once the show started.
Cat Lady Alley at CatCon
Now, onto my little corner at CatCon! First, a bit of behind-the-scenes during setup and then onto my products.
Here I am showing off our backdrop banner. Artwork by my wonderful hubby! Our booth was in the ballroom rather than the main convention hall, which turned out to be just fine.
Here’s the actual backdrop artwork.
Here’s our booth partway through setup. It took us over four hours to do. I even practiced at home by taping off a 10’x10′ area and doing a full setup to know where everything should go.
And here’s the completed booth, ready for shoppers!
Below are some of our items. All artwork and designs are by me or my hubby.
One of the most popular stickers was one I debuted at CatCon – the one of Woodrow with his tongue out.
You can check out a Reel I posted on Instagram to see a bit more.
Fellow Exhibitors
One of the nice things about being a vendor at an event like this is meeting people in person who run other online shops. Being online can be a bit isolating, so getting to know other shop owners and artists is delightful. Asking questions, sharing tips, learning from each other – it’s wonderful! I knew some of these exhibitors prior to CatCon, but I also met some new ones at the event.
Carrie LeBlanc Art – The very talented Carrie paints custom pet portraits.
She even does live commissions at each show! Visit carrieleblancart.com.
Bona Fide Bookworm – Abi runs this bookish shop that features cats in many of her designs. If you’re a book lover, you will want to check out her shop! Visit shop.bonafidebookworm.com.
HaiKitti – Run by Kai, this booth was my neighbor at CatCon! Kai makes handmade cat toys and beds. And she also has items for cat lovers. Visit haikitti.com.
Cat At Roof – I discovered Vina’s whimsical cat art at last year’s CatCon when I purchased several of her items. Right now, she sells home décor with her beautiful cat art. Visit her shop on Etsy.
Favorite Moments at CatCon
As you may guess, chatting with fellow exhibitors makes the list of favorite moments.
But another clear one is meeting shoppers in person! Sending out packages from online orders is always appreciated, but nothing beats getting to chat with customers face to face. This past weekend, we swapped kitty stories, CatCon stories and shared our love for stickers and stationery.
My customer highlight experience was meeting a woman from Maryland who planned her family trip to visit California around CatCon. She did exhibitor research before the event and then specifically searched for my booth at CatCon, knowing she wanted to shop with me! How neat is that!
And of course, my all-time favorite part about CatCon is sharing the weekend experience with my husband Ross. He does some of the artwork for the shop. But more importantly, he is always supportive and great moral support. Oh, and it’s nice that he can lift the heavy items during setup and breakdown!
So, there you have it! A wonderful CatCon weekend. Next year is their 10th anniversary, so you know it will be even bigger. I hope all cat lovers are fortunate enough to attend CatCon at least once. It truly is a unique experience, perhaps even a bucket-list item for some. I know that I will continue to attend and hopefully be an exhibitor again as well. And thank you to all who visited our booth! I loved meeting you all and hearing your cat-filled stories.
And guess what? 195 cats and kittens were adopted at CatCon from Pasadena Humane!
About the Author
Rachel is a lifelong cat lover and the shop owner at Cat Lady Alley - where all artwork and designs are by Rachel and her hubby. She also loves writing and sharing about all things cat. Having been a cat mom for over 14 years, she is passionate about animal welfare and has fostered cats and kittens. Rachel has used her skills as an award-winning blogger to volunteer as a writer and editor for a nationwide program supporting shelter cats. She entertains readers with her own cats’ antics on her cat blog Three Chatty Cats. Rachel and her husband Ross share their home with four adorable cats – Dexter, Olive, Sophie, and Woodrow – and one handsome pup named Guster.