Handcrafted pompoms from Peruvian Artisans
Handmade into pom'd jewelry and accessories in San Francisco
pom'd story
for the love of poms
It all started with a love for pompoms that was sparked during my first trip to Peru in 2016.
I knew someday that I would return in search of poms... but I never thought it would turn into the beautiful world pom'd has become today.
travel to Peru
In December of 2021, the time had come to finally return to Peru. I traveled there in search of finding textile artisans to work with.
On what? You may ask… well, at the time I wasn’t totally sure, so I put together a list of places to visit with the hope it would become more clear along the way.
finding artisans
Things started to fall into place after meeting Virginia + Nay, Yenny and Alejandra at various markets in Cusco, Pisac and Chinchero.
Ultimately, these talented artisans inspired the creation of pom'd.
Without them there would be no pom'd!
'aha' moment
I met Virginia and Nay during my first week. I had asked if they could make poms in custom colors or designs.
They were excited and intrigued by the inquiry and got to work right away!
At the end of my 3-week stay, I went over to their place to pick up the first order, and that's when I knew this could be the start of something.
returning with lots of poms
From my trip I returned home with 3 suitcases full of poms... still not totally clear what I would do with all of them.
sorting it all out
Now what? I had all these poms and wasn't totally sure what the next step was.
So... I just dove in to figuring out what to make. With the love + support of close friends, product ideas starting coming together.
i think i need more poms?!
Ater about a month returning from Peru I had made many different earring and jewelry styles.
To my surprise, I realized that I may need to order more poms!
placing the first order
I reached out to the pompom artisans via WhatsApp and began sorting out how to place orders all the way from Seattle.
In was a first for all of us, so we worked together to figure out the logistics.
Our first orders started to arrive 2-3 months later.
pom'd becoming a 'brand'
With the artisans hard at work making poms, I realized I needed to create a brand and a business to support what this was all turning into.
I reached out to a good friend of mine, Erika Bilbo Fox, who is a graphic designer, to see if she could help create a logo.
getting closer
And voila! pom'd was coming to life! Around this time, about two months since returning from Peru, I applied to the Udistrict Street Fair.
I figured it would be helpful to have a tangible target for the pom'd debut.
This was an entire undertaking all on its own. It was time to create all the pieces needed for a market booth!
making inventory
In addition to designing and building the booth, I had to figure out what exactly I would be selling.
Many lessons came from preparing the inventory. How many items should I make? What should I charge for them? How should I display them? How should I package them?
pom'd market debut
By May 2022 the time had come to share pom'd with the world (aka the lovely market goers at Udistrict Street Fair).
I was so proud of how much I was able to accomplish in five months! So many family, friends, and work colleagues came out to support our launch.
Even better was seeing how much everyone loved pom'd!
must keep going
With the success of our first market, I kept saying 'yes' to all opportunities that came up throughout the summer of 2022.
We went on to do six markets and started to grow a following in Seattle.
In December, we wrapped up our first year as a small business by participating in Renegade Craft, where we came close to selling out.
expanding our reach
Throughout our market experiences, our amazing supporters asked about our plans to start an online shop. I was hesitant at first. After more thought, it became clear that in order to grow, our reach needs to extend beyond Seattle.
I welcomed the challenge to adapt pom'd into an online experience. It took me way longer than I expected, but I was reminded along the way that if I have come this far in the last year, then I can do this too.