ST. PETERS, MO (KPLR/CNN) - A woman with a learning disability taught naysayers a lesson this Labor Day weekend.
Jessica Eisenbeis couldn’t find anyone who wanted to hire her after she finished school. So she started her own business instead.
The doors are now officially open at Yadi's Yummies, a store selling treats for dogs and humans.
"They can just sit right here and enjoy,” Eisenbeis said.
After school, Eisenbeis struggled to find work because of a rare genetic syndrome.
She turned instead to a longtime passion of hers. She loved to make her own treats for her two rescue dogs, Annie and Yadi, and turned that passion into a business.
Saturday was the store's first day of operation.
"We donate 10 percent of what we make to rescue groups to help with medical needs of dogs in shelters,” Cindy Eisenbeis, Jessica’s mother, said.
It's taken a lot of work to get to this point, and her mother said the opening of the store is an amazing symbol of what's possible.:
"I think the biggest thing is not to underestimate people's abilities, because she was told she wasn't able to work and obviously that's not true,” Cindy Eisenbeis said. “Because she's able to do this."
The plan is that opening Yadi's Yummies will only be the beginning.
"Her goal is to someday, if we're successful, be able to hire people with disabilities,” Cindy Eisenbeis said.
Her dog Yadi, and by extension the shop, was named after her favorite St. Louis Cardinal, Yadier Molina.
Her family said they’re extremely proud to see how Jessica refused to let anyone put limits on what she can do.
"Couldn't be more proud of her,” Cindy Eisenbeis said.
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