BUFFALO, N.Y. — After the closure of the Eastern Hills Mall, several stores were left searching for a new home -- Fetch! Gourmet Dog Treats picked its new spot in North Buffalo for the convenience of its workers.
Magdeline Allinot is a refugee from the Congo and has lived in Buffalo for over a year.
During the past few months, she has found a new skill as a full-time baker for Fetch! Gourmet Dog Treats.
Her boss, Jackie Lovern, has loved working with her so much, Jackie asked for her help finding more workers.
“I said to her ‘I need to find somebody as hard working as you’,” Jackie said.
Jackie hired Magdeline’s friend and fellow Congo refugee Furaha Ally.
“They’re the best workers I’ve ever had,” Jackie said.
Fetch! Gourmet Dog Treats had been located at the Eastern Hills Mall for the past 6 years, so Magdeline and Furaha spent over an hour on the bus to commute there from North Buffalo.
After the inside of the mall closed on January 14, the store was forced to move.
“We miss our mall walkers,” said co-owner John Griveas. “We miss the retail aspect… but that was never our purpose for being there. We are a manufacturer and distributor of all-natural dog treats.”
Co-owners John and Jackie took this opportunity to move their manufacturing location even closer to their two favorite workers.
“Being close to their house for easy transit to work was very important to me,” Jackie said. “Because I love them, and I want to do everything possible.”
Neither Magdeline nor Furaha speak English very strongly, so they spend their workdays with Jackie baking dog treats and learning each other’s languages and cultures.
The two got their jobs through Journey’s End Refugee Services.
Ahmad Yousufzay helped them both and feels this hard work is what all their refugees bring to the table.
“It’s very important for us to find them, integrate them into their communities and find them meaningful employment,” Ahmad said. “They are dependable and reliable, once in a job, they make sure to do it properly.”
This new location has no storefront, but you can still find their products online at fetchmeatreat.com and in several stores across Western New York.
If you’d like to support the local business during their move out of the mall and on their mission to hire more workers like Magdeline and Furaha, they are hosting a gofundme.
