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BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Meet Sydni Seidel, a 38-year-old entrepreneur and business owner at Pumped Goods in Bellingham, Washington.
Originally from California, Seidel became a Washington resident in 2008. She lived in Bothell for some time before moving to Bellingham with her partner and thoroughly enjoyed the fundamental values of the area, specifically how residents “support local.”
“The local aspect of Whatcom County is what always brought us back here.” – Sydni Seidel
After moving to Bellingham, Seidel began studying in the Electrician Program at Bellingham Technical College before having the opportunity to take over a small business called Pumped Bellingham.
Pumped, for short, was a business founded by Bellingham resident Leah Foster in 2021. After three years of growing the business, Foster decided to close the business to focus on her family and personal life. Over the last few years, Seidel had become a regular customer getting her soaps refilled at the brick-and-mortar location on Ohio Street every other week.
When Seidel learned that Pumped was closing, she realized that this was an opportunity to fulfill her goal of owning her own business.
Foster and Seidel worked out a deal, and Pumped Bellingham became Pumped Goods. Immediately, Seidel began reorganizing and restructuring the business in a way that stayed true to what Foster built as well as what Seidel wanted to do in the future.
“The main foundation of pumped was getting people aware of a more sustainable option than what they are using right now,” Seidel said. “There is this pre-existing process that has been made at the refillery and people know what to do.”
Seidel will be the first to admit that she has never been any sort of salesperson. However, Seidel wants to use this business and opportunity to leave the community with more knowledge than what they had previously.
When discussing some recent customer testimonials, Seidel mentioned a specific interaction that made an impact on her. A person entered her shop looking for laundry detergent alternatives for their child who had eczema. Seidel pointed her to specific products that she had used in the past, as her partner also suffers from eczema. The two were able to connect and learn about healthier soap alternatives for sensitive skin and Seidel was able to lead her customer to live a healthier life.
“Giving people an avenue where they can learn [why] using bamboo toilet paper is better than traditional toilet paper or why using this soap will benefit themselves and the community as a whole is what I want to see,” Seidel said.
Seidel now runs the business fully, with Foster checking in occasionally and still operating their reoccurring “Fix-It Fair” in the building where the shop is.
We are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.