Some people find themselves collecting items that a regular person would not think of.
From celebrity hair to nails, even toilet paper rolls from different places worldwide.
One man in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, did just that.
His collection? “Rescued” cat figurines.
Shawn Redner started collecting by accident.
He told his wife, Hilary Siegel-Redner, that he wanted to make their house into a museum of cat figurines.
“We’re gonna do that?” Hilary asked.
And surely, years after “rescuing” figurines, they opened their home into a “Mewseum” with a variety of collected cat items.
They have thousands of cat figurines.
Shawn told a news agency that it was “just a big accident,” and now it’s their entire house, plus the basement, and the storage unit.
The collection started with 12 figurines.
Their initial collection also included a picture, all of them purchased from thrift stores.
“I never thought we would find this much stuff,” Shawn added.
The idea came to light when Shawn remembered that his friend collected mushroom items from thrift stores a couple of decades ago.
Shawn thought they could get their cat items in from second-hand shops and antique malls, too. And so they did.
He got more than he dreamed.
The collection was mainly from buying in the said shops, however, there are also items donated by fans recently.
When he thought of opening their home into a cat figurine museum, Shawn also had the idea to collect donations from visitors and help their local cat rescue centers.
The idea is paying off.
Hilary was skeptical at first.
But now she’s fully convinced. After seeing the house transform into Redner’s Rescued Cat Figurine Mewseum, she felt reassured that they were doing the right thing.
With the plan in mind, they installed display cases and painted the walls. They even put up track lighting to get that museum vibe.
And it officially opened in 2021.
The museum now offers thousands of “rescued” items from figurines, statues, paintings, clocks, and anything that has a cat on it.
It holds true to its name, Redner’s Rescued Cat Figurine Mewseum.
The suggested donation amount is $5.00 and all the proceeds will go to their local shelters.
“The response from the people has just been fantastic. Like, it’s ‘I can’t believe this place is real,’ or ‘It makes me so happy,'” Redner said. “We had a woman come in here on Sunday that just started bawling.”
Shawn also shared in another local news agency,
“None of this happened on purpose. There’s so much negativity out there, and if I can just make someone happy, you know, bring a little joy to somebody. That’s what we’re gonna keep trying to do.”
It is truly awesome to see one man’s dream become a reality. If you ever have a chance, drop in for a visit to this museum and be amazed by everything.
Take a tour of Shawn’s Mewseum in the video below!
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