Kayla Hamelink of Mena has a passion for pets - she loves horses, dogs, cats and just about anything furry. She has managed to turn this love into a unique occupation, and a unique pastime. But Hamelink also grew up in a family of coffee lovers (her parents own True North Coffee Shop in Mena), so she has a true affection for the beverage and she is what might be called a "master coffee maker" - a qualified 'barista'.
Hamelink was born in Galveston, Texas, while her father was going to medical school. When she was just over a year old, the family moved to Michigan, and that's where she grew up.

"We lived just a mile from the beach, and in the summer life was jet skis and boats," she recalled. "We had a dinner cruise boat on which we took out guests, which was a lot of fun. At about 11 years old I fell in love with horses and started taking riding lessons. I got my first ride at a barn there, and it opened up a new world for me, and I went to my first horse show about then."

The family later got involved in horse shows, and the three main forms of horse riding at shows - 'Hunter in the Saddle' which is basically English-style, and "Western Pleasure", which is very slow riding that emphasizes how the horse carries itself.

Hamelink's family moved to Mena in 2006, but she stayed in college in South Carolina for another year before joining them. "Before I moved to Mena I worked for a pet-sitting agency - taking care of animals for people who were out of town for one reason or another," she explained. "It was long hours but I loved it - I would often start at 5:30 a.m. and not quit until 10 p.m. It was a big agency with a lot of clients. But I loved animals, so this was a natural for me."

"When I decided to move to Mena, I though about doing something like that here and the owner of the agency was kind enough to provide me with all the legal details on pet-sitting as a business," she continued. "I didn't know how this would go over in Mena, but it's really done well - I found myself as busy as I want to be and I have lots of regular clients now. I can do a daily visit to a house just to walk the dog, pick up the mail, and water the plants while people are out of town, or I can stay the night, or several nights, taking care of the animals and the house continuously. I've actually been asked to do grooming as well."

Hamelink said her love for horses has never changed an she still has her very first horse, Harley, but she got a miniature horse to keep him company.
"I still do horse shows, in fact I have one coming up in Benton next month, where I'll be doing Hunter in the Saddle and Western Pleasure riding performances," Hamelink said. "Each style of riding is unique and has its own rules, apparel, and tack. Harley loves going to shows and performing - he gets all excited when he sees us loading up the equipment."

In her spare time, if there is such a thing, Hamelink works for her parents at True North Coffee Shop. She is a connoisseur of coffee and is considered a qualified barista (someone who makes connoisseur coffees).

"I love making coffee drinks and specialty drinks," she said. "In fact, I have created several of the drinks on our menu which have become really popular. It's great fun when you make something from scratch that everyone starts asking for."

"I'm from a huge city and it was a transition for me to come to Mena, but it's been fun getting to know people here and not just being a nameless face in the crowd anymore," she added. "I'm looking forward to making more friends on the riding circuit and with my pet-sitting business, and at the coffee shop. It's amazing how nice the people are here, and many of my pet-sitting clients have already become good friends."