This is us! We are Cath and Alex, founders of thepod! It’s lovely to e-meet you!

Having known each other for years and worked together in luxury retail in our beautiful home town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, we knew we had the same ethos when it came to clothes shopping... it’s fun and we love it, and we know a lot of you love it too.

Retail and the high street has had a bit of a tough time of late with many stores closing their doors and moving online. Of course we understand the importance of online shopping in today’s society, but let’s face it, it’s not quite as fun and you don’t get to meet wonderful people like us whilst scrolling a website! It’s just not got the same vibe, and it never will. If you’re anything like we are, with families to tend too and houses to run, it’s a bit of a break from reality to step foot into a vibrant and friendly shop, and have a good old chat and a try on. And that’s unfortunately where the high street has lost itself in recent years. Fast fashion has become a fast down hill slope for many.

Shopping should be a wonderful experience where product and service is of the utmost importance, and what you buy has the ability to remind you every time you wear it, of the fun you had whilst picking it. So, that’s what we are creating with thepod... a place where you can lose yourself in the conversation, have some fun, and probably leave with a gem of a piece you find nestled into our hand-picked collections.

All our stock is contemporary or ready-to-wear designer clothing, shoes or accessories, and all pre-owned (so it comes with a much more fun and friendly price tag!). We know first hand how expensive designer items can be, and often rightly so when you consider the craftsmanship and technical expertise used to create them. But often these items are used a handful of times, sometimes never, and within a few months there is a need for a different piece so the older items are stored away and don’t get the wear they deserve. We take these items from our lovely clients who we have worked with for many many years and know very well, and we sell them on their behalf. It’s simple – we’re extending the life of these fashion beauties and opening up the possibility for us all to have these pieces in our wardrobe.

Both of us have worked in luxury retail across the UK, and between us have run departments in high end designer department stores Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, managed Designer Boutiques listed in the ‘Vogue Top 100 Boutiques in the UK’, launched clothing ranges for smaller Boutique Brands, and amassed a qualification list that includes Styling, Event and Media Management, Journalism and Textile Craft. Oh, and managed to fit in 4 sons and a Grandson in amongst it all... yikes! Anyone else as knackered as we are?!

But, we love what we do, and we want you to love it too. We want you to visit our shop, attend our parties (which will soon be held up and down the country when we take thepod on the road) and have the fun and luxurious experience you and the clothing deserve. We want you to soak up and celebrate the moments when you find ‘the one you’ve been looking for’ in thepod, and we’ll be celebrating with you. Probably with a glass of Prosecco and a bag of McCoys Flame Grilled in hand. Well, not everything can be high end all the time can it..?!

Fancy joining us for a party, or just interested to see snippets of the gorgeous stock we are getting in every week? Subscribe to our newsletter! Visit www.thepodonline.com and send us your email address. We’ll never bore you, we promise!

Cath & Al xx

P.S. You can email us to say hi if you want... We'd love to hear from you! hello@thepodonline.com