What began as a wife’s graduate painting exhibit on reclaimed boards coupled with a husband’s knack for woodworking and love for fishing has now become the trademark style of MW Coastal Goods. It was a pleasure to meet Wendy and Mike, the artists and lovebirds behind this perfectly preppy and nautical line at the 1st Boston NotWedding this year.
“Wendy from MW Coastal Goods showcased custom barware designed specifically to go with the inspiration board for the Boston event. It was clear by her adorable Tunnel of Love setup that she put so much thought into making her designs stand out!”
Allie Weber, Boston Production Manager
__________________________________________________________________________________________
What is it like being in business with your husband?
Upon reading this first question, we both looked at each other and had a good laugh! It may not work for every couple (and we have our moments), but we really do enjoy working together.
After 18 years, I left my elementary art teaching job in December to run our growing business full-time. It is truly a dream! Mike still works in his family business during the day, but we spend every waking free minute working together. We started off sharing my painting studio and soon realized we each needed our own work space. I hand paint the openers and Mike puts the epoxy finish on them. He used to hand turn every single piece on his lathe until we grew too busy for him to keep up!
We have turned the second floor of our 1834 old sea captain’s home into the MW Coastal Goods headquarters and studio. We have our own studios next door to each other and of course, we are accompanied by our yellow lab and buoy inspector, Huck. We truly love this brand and believe in the business. We have had a positive response from the over 34 shop that carry our products, as well as our website, family and friends. It’s really great to make these fun, nautical products together which all came to be from Mike’s love of fishing and making his own fishing lures. (Uh, and a few suggestions from me to try buoys and turn them into openers!)
Our line is inspired by our love of all things nautical, living on the coast and enjoying a good cocktail (or two…).
Most important part of choosing a wedding favor:
Having it reflect something relevant to the couple, their wedding and their wedding party. We love making our openers for wedding parties! We think it is so fun to be able to actually offer one fun gift that both bridesmaids and groomsmen enjoy, yet be able to personalize it with certain colors, monograms, or images that suit everyone.
What is your favorite part of The NotWedding experience?
Just finding The NotWedding was exciting enough, but actually being part of this event was so amazing! Watching a group of talented vendors, NotWedding staff, and a fantastic venue location all come together and create this event was truly spectacular. The whole concept really is great, and especially being able to introduce our brand to so many nice couples as well as wedding/event planners and magazines.
Photo Credits:
MW Coastal Goods
__________________________________________________________________________________________
More from MW Coastal Goods:
