Binky Bell- Real items, Real Rescues
Rick Gardner draws cartoon dogs, and every sticker, magnet and tie-dye shirt he sells helps a homeless pet in the Triangle. His business, Binky and Bell, gives 10% of every event’s sales straight to a local rescue. Rick turned a doodle habit and a very musical Lab mix into one of Raleigh’s most mission-driven small businesses.
Rick grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and studied at Ohio State. He spent years as an executive with the Boy Scouts before finding his calling in higher education at NC State, UNC and Duke. “That kind of led me to where I am today,” he says.
From a layoff to a farmers market booth
Binky and Bell started about 12 years go after Rick was laid off. With free time on his hands, he started doodling again and went to a meetup group. There he met woodworker Mark Bell.
“We talked a little bit about our passions that were outside of work. Mine was drawing cartoon dogs and he was doing woodworking. We kind of decided, well, let’s just try an experiment here. I would draw stuff and he would create frames for it.”
The pair started at small farmers markets. “Little by little, we grew organically,” Rick says.
Animals were always part of the plan. Rick grew up with dogs and cats and once wanted to be a veterinarian. That didn’t work out, but fundraising, serving others and doodling stayed constant through his “interesting, winding path.”
“That, I think, is kind of the core of what Binky and Bell is. Our mission is to use my art to help local rescues and shelters.”
Meet Binky (and Bell)
The Binky in the name was Rick’s dog, a Lab-Brittany mix and “one of the smartest dogs that I know.”
“She could dance. She could do that little bone on the edge of her nose and wait until I told her. She would sing along with me. We used to sing ‘Whole Lotta Love’ by Led Zeppelin, and she would bark along with me.”
When it was time to name the business, Rick knew Binky had to be in it. Mark’s first dog was Toby, but “Binky and Toby” didn’t have the same ring. So they used Mark’s last name instead: Binky and Bell. “It does sound like it makes sense, and that’s what we did. And so Binky is still being honored.”
Mark is retired now and less involved day to day, but his handmade ornaments still come out every November and December. “It’s always fun to bring those out because it’s a different side of who we are.”
10% off the top, every time
“Binky and Bell is mission-centric,” Rick says. The business supports homeless pets by working alongside local rescues and shelters, and the model is simple:
10% of all event sales goes straight to the local rescue partners for that event, as well as a portion of online sales.
Tips and donations from customers are passed directly through to that same rescue.
Partners have included Freedom Ride Rescue, Saving Grace, the SPCA of Wake County and Triangle Beagle Rescue, among many others. “There’s a lot of them,” Rick says, “and they need help.”
Stickers, tie-dye, and Joke Books
Most of what Binky and Bell sells is small and affordable on purpose: stickers, magnets, buttons, keychains and hat pins, “stuff that everybody can afford.” Those travel with Rick to every pop-up.
The bigger items include tie-dyed T-shirts, blankets, tote bags and even signs. Binky and Bell has also published four or five coloring books and two joke books that benefit specific rescues. They’re printed on demand through Amazon. “So it’s a win-win-win for us, and hopefully for the rescues.”
Measuring more than money
Rick calls himself a one-man operation, “but then I’m not.” Friends and volunteers staff his booth at big events and help spread the mission. The hardest part, he says, is not letting the numbers take over.
“It’s really easy to say, was this event great? But the truth of the matter is, did we make good connections with people? Were we able to connect people with rescues and shelters and homeless pets looking for homes?”
It’s this kind of mission that really drives Binky and Bell, not only making creative art, but also giving back to shelters to help every animal find a forever loving home.
Not Just Dogs!
Binky and Bell started with cartoon dogs, but 2026 has been “the year of the cat.” At KittyCon at the State Fairgrounds, cat lovers showed up in force for Binky and Bell and the rescues it supports, including Second Chance Pet Adoptions, Safe Haven for Cats and the Goathouse Refuge in Pittsboro.
Find Binky and Bell at binkyandbell.com, on Etsy, on Instagram and help support the local shelters in our community!
