May 2023 Trader of the Month - House of Catford

How did House of Catford get started?

With humble beginnings as sweatshirts for Team Catford’s uniform when doing community engagement, House of Catford has grown to become a neighbourhood store which celebrates our beloved hometown.  Fundamentally House of Catford is a place for community and provide a creative outlet for sixteen local suppliers, including Catford Gin, Pat & Pinky's, Catford Dogs and  Mont 58.

Why do you trade at Catford Food Market? Why did we appeal to you and your business?

Catford Food Market was the only logical place for us to trade, as it is a market run for the community, by the community who like us, love Catford! Catford Food Market is a vibrant and exciting market with a diverse range of traders, not to mention their excellent organisation and support for traders.

What does success look like to you?

For us, success is keeping our customers back time and again with high quality, unique products as well as being able to support local artists through our collaborations. 

How important is customer service to you and your business?

Without our customers, we wouldn't be able to do what we do, so customer service is central to our business! We love it when our regulars pop into the shop for a chat and we love meeting new people and cultivating strong relationships with Catfordian's at our market stall!

How important is branding?

Branding is very important to us. Our branding is timeless and minimalist while also being immediately recognisable to create a cohesive collection. We like to let our high quality products do the talking rather than relying on distracting branding!

How eco-friendly are you?

Being environmentally sustainable and responsible is really important to us here at House of Catford, below are just a few of our initiatives:

• We are proud to have removed all plastic carrier bags from our pop up store, replacing them with 100% recyclable and sustainably sourced paper bags. Our commitment goes further as we aim to reduce the number of bags given to customers and cut the overall consumption of carrier bags by 50%. Customers are kindly asked to bring their own bag, fill an existing bag with multiple items or invest in one of our 100% cotton reusable tote bags. 

• All of our products are minimally packaged in high quality, recycled and recyclable packaging. We ensure that all deliveries arrive safely and free from damage, without the burden of disposing of excess waste. We have successfully removed 100% single-use virgin plastic by the simple introduction of more sustainable products. 

• Local orders are delivered sustainably by cargobike and to ensure that nationwide orders are dispatched quickly and efficiently, we have partnered with shipping companies who are constantly striving to reduce, and offset their carbon emissions. 

• All of the House of Catford staff live within a 1 mile radius of the shop and either walk or cycle to work.

What sort of products do you stock?

Our extensive range of merchandise including clothing, homeware and the Catford Cookbook. We also stock products for your four-legged friends and mini-Catfordians!

What are your best-selling products? 

We have so many popular products but the products which sell out again and again are our Catford Cat Tea Towel, our Made in Catford Sweater, the best-selling Catford Cookbook and our gorgeous range of hand-poured coconut & soya wax candles. 

What are your plans for the future? Do you have any exciting business updates to share?

We have some exciting news to share soon on our plans for the future! In the meantime, we are working on expanding our range of seasonal preserves and condiments, as well as innovating new and exciting product lines!