Couple took the plunge to open their two unique businesses from shared Northampton cabin

A couple recently took the plunge to open their two unique businesses from a shared Northampton cabin.

Trihn Nguyen and Ben Palmer have attended markets together since the pandemic and when the opportunity arose to take on a cabin at Workbridge in Bedford Road, they jumped at the chance.

Trihn’s business, Little Cloudy, offers montessori learning and sensory fabric books for children to enjoy during quiet time – as well as handmade gifts for the little ones in your life.

Whereas Ben’s business, Alchemists Elixir, focuses on herbal products. As a doctor of Chinese medicine, he has been working hard on herbal research to launch his own range of products.

Little Cloudy was founded during the pandemic when Trihn had a lot of time at home to focus on a new venture.

It has been received “really well” on Etsy, which encouraged Trihn to attend Northampton-based markets after the pandemic restrictions eased.

A number of markets during last year’s festive period were particularly successful, namely at the Abington Park Museum, which gave Trihn the confidence to take the next step when the opportunity at Workbridge arose.

Ben’s journey began before the pandemic, when he had his own clinic and taught Chinese medicine. Though the town centre clinic unfortunately had to close during lockdown because of the increase in costs, he has utilised the time since to focus on herbal research.

Trihn and Ben typically share a table, or have two positioned next to one another, at markets. Their products may be very different but they work well together as a couple.

Ben currently has six products on the shelves of their Workbridge cabin, primarily composed of ginseng. As his products take time to create using thorough research, his range remains a work in progress.

When asked why now was the right time to open a physical shop, Ben said: “We stumbled across the Workbridge cabins when we went for a coffee. We thought it’s worth giving it a try as it’s a lovely area.”

They have both been open since April 13 and would urge anyone interested to come and take a look. The couple hopes that as the weather picks up, business at Workbridge will too.