About PotHoles
PotHoles is the brain child of the late Christine Burge. They had their start in Christine's backyard when she latched on to the smallest of details: the hole in the bottom of a flower pot. A lifelong plant lover, Christine was all too familiar with the frustration of trying to find enough broken clay pot pieces to cover the bottom of the pot for better drainage. At the same time, she possessed a natural curiosity about the world and the people in it, and she was always looking for ways to simplify or improve that world and those people, be it in the form of a design idea or by providing support for a friend struggling to go after his or her dreams. That instinct finally met inspiration, and PotHoles was born.
The first hurdle was to be the largest one, and had nothing to do with patent research, business plans or manufacturing concerns. Not long after starting to work on the project, Christine was diagnosed with lung cancer. The shock of any serious illness is a great one, but for a person who'd always been active, a healthy eater and a non-smoker, the news was particularly difficult to deal with. However, it didn't take her long to come out the other side, and when she did, PotHoles was still there.
She embarked upon the process of invention, trying out different materials (coffee filters, fabrics, and the like), doing research, and - of course - talking to people. She finally settled on the perfect filler for drainage: hydroponic (absorbent) rock. Completing the multi-functional design and deciding on the material and casing of the filter followed quickly. She was off and running, experiencing the frustrations and little victories that make up the initial phases of bringing a product to market. All the while, she was undergoing treatment for her cancer, and PotHoles provided a tangible and welcome respite from the heavy burden of the disease and the effects of its treatment.
When Christine passed away in January of 2007, those surrounding her didn't need to look far to find a way to honor her memory. In fact, continuing on with PotHoles was one of the things she asked her loved ones to do for her. Christine had brought her "surrogate daughter" – Jaala Sheldon – on to the project, and Jaala was quickly joined by Gary and Peter Burge - Christine's husband and son, respectively - as the driving force behind bringing PotHoles to market and striving to make it a success. The decision to continue with the project was as easy for them to make as their decision on how to further honor Christine: a percentage of profits from PotHoles are donated to lung cancer research.
That Christine had the idea for PotHoles in the first place says something about the simple and hopeful way she looked at the world. That she continued with the project after being diagnosed with lung cancer says something about her strength and her character. That her loved ones have continued with the project in order to honor her says even more about who she was as a wife, mother and friend.
We hope that PotHoles makes your life a little bit simpler and your days a little bit brighter. It's what Christine wanted for everyone she met, and what we, in turn, want for you.