Safe Shoes for All!
Fast & Furless Vegan Emporium / Animal Rights Coalition
by Megan Sheridan
As many of you reading this may know, a business idea is almost exclusively born out of our own experience. The entrepreneurs among us are keen to noticing when our needs aren’t met or desires go unsatisfied. For Jon Novick, owner of Fast and Furless Vegan Emporium, this is a story about shoes.
As a vegan, Jon had grown accustomed to buying his food, clothes and other miscellaneous products in unconventional places, namely the internet. For the most part, this wasn’t much of a problem, except when it came to shoes. “Shoes are really hard to order online,” Jon told me, “by the time you actually get the right shoes in the right size and the right color, you have spent more money on shipping than you did on the shoes themselves.” While living in Los Angeles, Jon began to notice boutiques popping up that offered alternative products that you could see, feel and try on before purchasing. It was nice for him to finally get a pair of shoes in one afternoon instead of over the course of a few weeks.
When he moved home to Minnesota, Jon was determined to fill the void that still existed here. “If other cities have [these boutiques], we should too,” Jon said, “there are only a handful across the country and this would put Minneapolis on the map.” And with that, Fast and Furless Vegan Emporium was on the map—first in St. Paul and then in Seward, or what Jon refers to as “Veg Central.”
So what exactly is a vegan emporium? It is a place to shop where you are guaranteed that everything in the store is cruelty-free. Jon’s store appeals to the strong vegan and vegetarian communities in the neighborhood as well as those concerned with human labor issues and the environment. “Cruelty-free” is a term that encompasses all of the above: no animal cruelty, no human cruelty and no environmental cruelty.
The store on East Franklin Avenue is more than just a place to buy things. The space also houses the Animal Rights Coalition (ARC), a Minnesota group that has been active on behalf of animals for almost three decades. Dallas Rising, the ARC Program Director, leads both outreach and educational programs alongside Jon’s retail operation. One of her educational initiatives (among many) is Compassionate Kids, an age-appropriate program that helps children develop compassion and empathy while empowering them to take action for animals themselves. Dallas also coordinates humane farming outreach and regularly hosts national speakers and authors.
Most importantly, Dallas noted, ARC is here as a resource. Recently, a local business came to her for help removing mice from their building without harm. Dallas was able to direct that business to a safe product that would ensure the well-being of both the mice and the business. Any person or business, vegan or not, is encouraged to stop in and talk to Dallas if they are interested in making certain aspects or the entirety of their business more animal friendly.
“We have a very synergistic relationship,” Jon told me, “she does the education and I help people make changes.” ARC and Fast and Furless, the educator and the outfitter, are both essential resources for people looking to make changes both in their own lives and in the greater system that supports animal
cruelty.
For more info, check out fastandfurless.com and animalrightscoalition.com