With a creative flair and an eye for beautiful things, Taya Barrick brought her passions together to create Bombora House, a beautiful online homewares store, sourcing and selling handmade and eclectic designs from all around the world. Taya hand picks every item and only stocks products she loves and truly believes in. Bombara‘s gorgeous nursery range offers a selection of handmade woven moses baskets, unique cane bassinets, beautiful bedding and accessories: everything you need to create a stunning, stylish nursery for your baby.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
I have a passion for sourcing, a passion for homewares, and a passion for photography. I spent years trying to work out “what I wanted to be when I grew up”, but I could never quite land on anything. I studied graphic design, interior design, worked as a buyer in a homewares company as well as a studio styling assistant. It was only in my late 20s I realised that I don’t have to stick to only one thing, and that if I ran my own homewares business I could do all of the things I loved rolled into one.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I had had a bad day at work; I was tired and run down from giving my all but feeling undervalued. I decided then and there that I wanted to use my energy and enthusiasm on something I could be proud of, and that is how Bombora was born. I had no savings but have a hubby that believes in me. I continued working full time for years and every minute outside of work (including lunch breaks) I would be sitting at my laptop or phone working.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
My biggest breakthrough I would have to say was starting to stock baby products. I received my first ever container of stock at the start of last year, which was such a huge thing considering I started by only buying products in such tiny amounts. Now I have a second container on the way and I don’t think I ever dreamed I would be able to do any of this!
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
This was a hard thing to do at the start. When I wasn’t working in my full-time job I was working on Bombora, so there was rarely any down time for a long time. Now that I’ve been fortunate enough to quit my full-time job, I do my work during the days and make sure for the most part I stop working as soon as hubby gets home from work. That way we can both unwind, have a laugh over dinner together before watching TV in bed.
