Take two pairs and call me in the morning | Business

Sadaf Hussain, a physician who works at an urgent care facility in Kent, always dreamed of opening a chocolate shop when she retired.

But while volunteering at Sidecar for Pigs Peace,
a University District store that caters to vegans, she got plenty of requests from people seeking shoes made without animal products.

A vegan herself, Hussain found it annoying to always have to buy her shoes online, so she combined her dream of owning a chocolate shop with the market niche for "cruelty-free" shoes.

On Saturday she'll open The Chocolate Shoe Box in Greenwood, selling shoes and chocolate made without animal products.

Hussain said she gave away hundreds of pairs when she moved to Seattle from Oklahoma nearly three years ago and calls herself a chocoholic of the vegan persuasion.

But more than food or footwear, Hussain is selling a lifestyle. She sees The Chocolate Shoe Box as a way to reach out to other vegans and those who are interested in becoming vegan.

An animal rights group will meet at the store’s grand-opening Saturday.

Hussain made the switch from vegetarianism ten years ago after she read information from PETA about pus in milk while completing her residency in beef and cattle farming area of Oklahoma.

The information, which Hussain said she verified, put her off her daily cheese sandwich.

“I even ordered it after knowing that, “Hussain said. “I was just like, I can’t do this.”

She removed the cheese, and just ate the bread.

The Chocolate Shoe Box is at 7410 Greenwood Avenue North. More information on the store's Facebook page.