I stumbled upon Pottly and Tubby on Instagram and was completely smitten by their fun, products to decorate a kids room. Their items range from big floor pillows, bean bags, soft toys and teepee tents that are just too cute. If only I had the space, I would want a teepee for myself!
Because space in our house is limited, I had to settle for this functional but oh so cute bed in a bag. My daughter loves hanging out in her little nook as seen below.
I met Marie, the hot mom who owns Pottly N Tubby at one of their bazaar booths and grabbed the opportunity to feature them on this blog.
1. When did you start the business?
I started Pottly N Tubby when my mom and I joined our first Sunday bazaar in BGC under the Mercato Centrale team. It was June 2014. We only had 14 items of clothes at that time, all sewn by my mom, all designed by myself.
2. Where did you get your product or business idea?
After the first few days of doing the bazaar, I thought of incorporating more items into our product line up like the dinosaur tails and then the teepees. There wasn’t really any plan yet during those early months but as we went along, Pottly N Tubby started developing more into providing children’s playroom decor or accessories. We try to focus our inspiration from the lifestyle we experienced while living in Australia. Life there was less confined. I felt like the kids have so much more space to explore, they have so much more room to breathe and play and be kids. Children seemed to be living in spaces that are not bombarded by traditional Disney or mass-commercialized items. They have play items that blend with the living room decor, play creatures not already seen on TV, cushions and bed linens with beautiful prints that were both calming and inspiring.
All I wanted to do was to bring those inspirations here and create them from what we can source locally, from the locally available fabrics to the local makers. Unfortunately, after awhile we’ve encountered limitations and slowly looked at sourcing materials overseas so we can get access to organic fabrics, designer prints, and open our world even greater.
3. Explain the name Pottly and Tubby? Your kids?
My husband was not really supportive of the brand name I chose at first. He was telling me that people will mistake it for Potty, potty = toilet training = poo = no sales. But I liked the name. I liked that it was not too thought out and researched, surveyed and put together in such marketed preciseness. It is just the nickname of my two kids. Sophie is Pottly and William is Tubby.
I wanted to create these beautiful items for them, so for me it is only fitting that the brand name is for them as well.
4. How do you come up with design inspiration?
I am still learning to create a cohesive design inspiration. I am hoping that 2016 would allow us to do that. For the last 2 years, we had been so dependent on the materials we can get locally that it was hard to create something limited to a certain vision or theme. But at the moment, as we gain access to the printing industry here and also gain access to designer fabrics overseas, we are slowly able to tailor what we want to produce.
Our design inspirations come mainly from Australia as we try to see trends in children’s interior and fashion. We create our own interpretation of items we see overseas such as playmats and beanies and see how we can make them functional for the kids here.
5. Who buys your products/ who are your clients?
Our clients are mainly moms that are creating beautiful spaces for their kids. Our biggest client base are moms from exclusive villages like Dasma, Forbes, Ayala Alabang and the high end condos in BGC and Makati. We also get a lot of business from grandmothers who buy our items as gifts for their grandchildren. After that, we have the Titas and the Ninangs. Sometimes we have dads who order online as surprise items for their kids.
6. Can anyone have items made to order? Procedure?
Our core business last year in 2015 was our made to order items wherein clients can choose items from our samples listing and select the corresponding fabrics they prefer. Usually the procedure involves the clients sending us a query thru PM or email and we discuss their requirements. For example, a client would send us a photo of her child’s room so we can see the existing colours and furniture and we can suggest specific items that would enhance the room in terms of imaginative play and also aesthetically. Sometimes the client might want a big bean bag but if the room is already crowded then we usually suggest smaller poufs that would be more suited for the available area. Our objective is to make the space more conducive for play so it is not our interest to sell bigger items that are priced higher when the items are clearly not suitable. We stick with our objectives even if it means lesser sales because we can only recommend a small teepee, for example, instead of a large one.
This is very important to establish a trusting relationship with the clients.
This year, in 2016, we are aiming to have more ready made items available for our customers. The main driver for this is the need to be able to cater to buyers who are looking for gifts to buy for their friend’s kids or godchildren or grandchildren or even their kids. These items will be limited to cater to individuals who have a more flexible requirement in terms of colors and prints for their play items.
The made to order line will remain available for 2016 for clients who need specific items that will match their kids bedroom, playroom or nursery.
7. What is your website/ social media addresses?
Our website is under construction and it is our priority to get it up and running this Q1. Pat of Fancy Girl Design Studio is the one designing our website.
Our email is pottlyandtubby@gmail.com. FB is www.facebook.com/pottly.tubby. IG is pottlyntubby.
8. How do you manage everything as a young mom with a growing business? Describe a day.
I am very fortunate to have a lot of help along the way. My 2 young kids attend school everyday so I can work during the 1st half of the day almost without interruption. I am still breastfeeding Isla but she is very well behaved and usually naps for a long time after each feed.
I normally get up at 6AM, get myself and the kids ready for school (with the help of their nanny) and their Lola as well to get them to eat their breakfast. Once they are in school, I try to have an hour of doing Pilates or Barre3. Then I run through the emails and PMs for PnT. After that, the kids return home and we have lunch and they have a quiet time after lunch. I get back to doing some work which in the afternoon usually involves cutting some fabrics, QCing the sewn items, or prepping items for filling, fitting or packaging. We have a break around 3PM for snacks and the kids have an active play outside in the pool or just in the garden. Then we try to go out around 4PM so they can ride their bikes and I push the baby’s pram along with them. Then it is shower and dinner time. After dinner time, story time and bedtime for them, although there is never a night that this goes according to plan as they resist bedtime as long as they can keep their eyes open.
I work at night again usually going thru design inspirations, color boards and trying to learn new things like how to use my Photoshop, how best to edit our Instagram photos, how to photograph the items better, etc. It is a constant learning process and I for one have many many more things to learn!
Thank you Marie for sharing Pottly N Tubby with us!
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