Every week, Macaroni Kid South Shore will introduce you to an amazing, local mom. Nothing makes me happier than supporting incredible women and I am so excited to have the opportunity to introduce you to some of the South Shore's finest!
This week, we meet TWO moms, Catherine and Jacqueline of Feather + Finn Co. Feather + Finn creates the most beautiful smelling, non-toxic, soy wax candles. They have an everyday collection (honey + tonka is my fav!), seasonal collections (apple cinnamon doughnuts, yes please!) and their latest, the landmark collection featuring beautiful prints by Palm Prints Co. (still holding out for a Marshfield candle!). My favorite, for so many reasons, is Cozy on the South Shore -- it smells as special as this place we call home! Read below to find out all about them, their story and their favorite places on the South Shore. Don't forget to give them a follow on Instagram @featherandfinnco or check out their website so you can see the the beauty of Feather + Finn.
Meet Catherine
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
I have 2 boys. Drake; 4 years old + Finn; 2 years old
What town do you live in and what is your favorite thing about the South Shore?
I live in Bridgewater, MA + my favorite thing about the South Shore is the proximity to the ocean + all that it has to offer. We can start our day at the farm + end our day at the beach!
What do you like to do for fun with your kids on the South Shore? Without your kids?
With the kids we take "adventures to nowhere" - it's something we've been doing since Drake was born. We get in the car + just find our way from town to town in search of places to stop + check out. We do this everywhere we go, even out of state. Most recently we just drove around Duxbury! Without the kids we typically will look for a new restaurant that we haven't tried + probably drooled over for the past month because it's tough to get away! We also like to explore the area we end up eating in + hope it has some cute shops to browse post cocktails!
Tell me about feather + finn and how it came about. Where did the name come from?
Feather + Finn was a long time coming! it went from a passion project to a product brand within months + really grew fast. It all started when I was on maternity leave with my second boy + realizing what I truly wanted for myself as a woman, mom, + professional. I looped Jackie in on my little idea + the next thing we knew we were pouring hundreds of candles a week + building a really fun + new life for ourselves. The company name was created by my husband Taylor; he is the best at naming things ( including our 2 boys! ). He loved the idea of naming the company something personal so... Drake ( my oldest ) means duck + ducks have feathers + Finn ( my youngest ) well, that's kind of obvious! Put them together + you have; Feather + Finn!
Does the South Shore have any influence on your work?
Yes + no. I did not grow up here so my roots don't dig deep here yet. They are starting to though! But I have found that those who grew up here have this insane love for the area + like to see custom candles with their town names, zip codes, or artwork. This has started to really influence our product designs.
How do you balance work and life? Or do you?! ;)
I personally do not balance work + life well, it's a daily struggle for me. I am trying really hard to carve out time where I focus on work + time where I put my phone down + shut my laptop to be fully focused on my family. But, it's a struggle + I am not sure I will ever have the answer to how to balance it all!
Favorite places on the South Shore to:
Eat: Trattoria San Pietro, my husband + I went + had dinner here for the first time when we moved to Bridgewater about 8 years ago + it stole our hearts.
Drink: Vitamin Sea Brewing, I mean you can't go wrong with a brewery! Most breweries are kid friendly + have a little something for everyone!
Play: The beach + local farms, because of COVID + my kids not being vaccinated we have been sticking to outdoor fun in the sun!
Meet Jackie
How many kids do you have and how old are they?
My daughter, Nellie, just turned two + I am pregnant with our second child, due the beginning of March 2022.
What town do you live in and what is your favorite thing about the South Shore?
My family + I live in Scituate. We moved here in January from Boston + couldn’t be more in love with the town! We love the proximity to the ocean… which was a huge deciding factor for us. We absolutely love the sense of community + town pride.
What do you like to do for fun with your kids on the South Shore? Without your kids?
We try to take full advantage of all the community activities the south shore has to offer! We have Nellie enrolled in class at MyGym in Cohasset, she is in swim lessons with Powers Aquatics at the Hanover YMCA, + we frequent the Scituate Public Library + the outdoor toddler classes offered there. We are also part of the Scituate Mom’s Walking group that walks multiple times a week.
Tell me about feather and finn and how it came about. Where did the name come from?
Feather + Finn has been a long time coming for Catherine + me. Catherine is married to my cousin, Taylor, + we have known each other for the past 11 years. We joke that it was love at first sight!
Before Feather + Finn, we started on many different creative ventures together but the timing just wasn’t right. It wasn’t until we started having children that we realized that we wanted to have more flexibility to be there for our families + that creating something on our own was going to be the best way to achieve that flexibility.
When I was 8 months pregnant with Nellie + Catherine was about 4 months postpartum with her youngest Finn, she came over with her two little ones for lunch. She pulled out 6 gorgeous candles she poured in her kitchen + said something along the lines of “I know you’re about to pop but I think this is the creative venture we are looking for. If + when you’re ready, I think we should do this together!”
The following January 2020, we both dove in headfirst to all things Feather + Finn + haven’t looked back since.
Catherine’s husband was actually the one who came up with the name Feather + Finn. Their sons’ names are Drake + Finn. Drake meaning duck + ducks have feathers. Finn being the Finn aspect.
Does the South Shore have any influence on your work?
As our presence in the South Shore has grown, I have been blown away by the amount of support we have received + the sense of community. There are so many amazing artists, makers, + entrepreneurs in the South Shore + it feels so good to be part of such a supportive group of people.
With the addition of our ‘cozy on the south shore’ candle, we have seen firsthand just how proud + happy people are to live on the South Shore.
How do you balance work and life? Or do you?! ;)
Balancing work + life is an ever-changing struggle/win for me. Some weeks I nail it, others things are all over the place! I have been trying really hard to set boundaries on the days that I am home with my daughter. I typically only respond to emails or do work-related tasks while she is asleep. I am so much more productive when there are zero distractions so I find this is working really well. Some days it is harder than others to do that.
Favorite places on the South Shore to:
Eat: Salt Society, Lenny’s Hideaway, Poopsies, The Galley, Nona’s… oooh so many!
Drink: Untold
Play: Peggotty + the North Scituate Playground
Thank you, Catherine + Jacqueline!
