Stay-At-Home Stories: Katherine Rhodes

Pom Pom Yellow Butterfly

Rural Essex may not be the epicentre of the business world but, in isolation, does it matter where you are? Elmdon locals, Katherine Rhodes and Cecily Henderson, recently co-founded Pom Pom: an online shop selling eco-friendly, plastic-free children’s toys. Fed up of the plastic clutter that overwhelmed their houses since having children, they came up with a sustainable solution. I spoke to Katherine about the ups and downs of these last few months.

The Climbing Triangle

While many of us have spent lockdown perfecting our sourdough loaves or binge-watching Netflix, Katherine and Cecily have been nurturing their 9-month-old business. Katherine explains how an increase in sales coincided with lockdown, which is unsurprising considering their “star product”: the Climbing Triangle. This indoor wooden climbing frame is compact, folds up easily, and keeps children entertained for hours. “It’s been a hero for us during lockdown,” she tells me. By the sounds of it, parents agree.

Katherine and Cecily: Founders of PomPom

It hasn’t all been plain sailing and lockdown has posed significant challenges from the practicalities of attaining stock, to the intensity of navigating a pandemic. What’s more, Katherine has another equally demanding job – being a mother: “you’ve got small windows of time to achieve, and that’s the nature of being a mum while running a business.”

But the duo have achieved, offering ecological alternatives to everyday items. At a time when people have less money to spend and more time to think, Katherine hopes that we will “buy less but buy better”, not only for the sake of her business, but for the planet.