How Poppys Collection Went From a Living Room To a Living Company

“First and foremost, we’re a family business.”

4 years ago, Founder Kathryn McNally of Poppys Collection welcomed her little nephew Sam into her life. It was Sam that made her realize the quality of childrens’ clothes were just not up to standard. There was a hole in the Canadian market when it came to curating high quality pieces for childrens’ clothes. Right then and there she decided to take the plunge and leave the corporate world behind. She created Poppys Collection, a collection of childrens’ clothing. 

Starting as just a dream in the living room of her apartment, Kathryn was able to create a family business where mothers are designing clothes for children. 

As the youngest of 4 siblings, Kathryn was a child that wore hand me downs her entire life. There were times when she would be excited to wear some pieces and times when she would dread having to wear them. Because of her experience, Kathryn created an environment where families can get excited over the clothes they purchase, and children can feel special about what they wear.

It all starts with clothes. Her goal is to get pieces that matter and that can make a difference.

“It’s kind of a no brainer. Why hasn’t this happened years ago?”

Kathryn always dreamed of having her own store. However, back when she was a child, her dream consisted of a massive piece of property that spanned 2 city blocks with a tennis court, because, why not? Reality became a much different journey. Working as an entrepreneur has been a long and demanding path, and if she’s being honest, it is sometimes a lonely one. Creating something from the ground up took a lot of perseverance. It was something that she had to completely commit to and have her heart in 100%. 

“Life of an entrepreneur has great highs and great lows. It’s on a rollercoaster so it’s good to surround yourself with people that can go on the ride with you”

Kathryn’s advice? Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint–hearted. If you can be happy doing anything else, than do not become an entrepreneur. This is something you must live and breath. You have to be willing to make sacrifices in your personal life to see your professional one flourish.  

Kathryn believes that each person has to find where they are going to thrive, to grow and to make themselves better. She argues that it is important to find your niche.

All those that step into this line of work should not be afraid to fail, because at some point, we all fail, but the key is to grow and to learn from it, or else what is the point? 

“I had to learn to be brutally honest with myself. Learning how to pivot when I needed to pivot. It was crucial in making this work.”

Poppys Collection is a conscious company, moving away from fast fashion, a family business of mothers working with mothers and provides that one on one feeling with their customers. While you can purchase online, Poppys Collection can be found as pop ups in Muskoka with plans to expand. 

Kathryn enjoys the fact that she is on a first name basis with her clients, and that every time they return to Muskoka, she gets to witness the growth and development of the children that come to her store with their parents. 

2019 has been an exciting year for Poppys Collection, we can’t wait to see what 2020 holds in store.

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