Have you heard about, or visited, The Bird & Bear Collective yet? If not, maybe you’ve seen their Love Better, See the Good, Camp Quarantine, or Mama Bird and Mama Bear apparel out and about? 

Located right in downtown Holliston, the Bird & Bear is a living, loving, and breathing collective of community, creatives, entrepreneurs, ideas and invitations. It’s a unique space, brand, and business-model imagined by Medway local, Erin Defoyd, to bring people together and invite opportunities to purposefully gather, support small businesses, and shop small.

In late 2018 Erin, a self-proclaimed farmer’s daughter and corporate refugee, stepped out of a 15+ year career in global marketing, diversity, and inclusion to pursue the entrepreneurial opportunity she saw coming to life in her backyard barn. The Bird & Bear Collective was launched in May of 2019 out of that backyard barn, and has continuously expanded and evolved over the past two years, even in the midst of a global pandemic.

Erin and her family were seeing something special happen in their backyard space. Together with family and friends they witnessed what happens when you have a space that you choose to open the doors to, for any and all kinds of gathering, play, creativity, conversation,  and moments that matter, that barriers are broken, connection happens, and memories are made. 

The journey from the backyard barn in Medway, to the downtown historic bank in Holliston has been grounded in the Bird & Bear’s tag-line ~ a place to nest, rest, explore, and soar.  When asked what that means, Erin’s eyes will light up as she shares the heart of the Bird & Bear. 

“Birds and Bears, just like you and I, are very different beings. In size, what we look like, and how we live and do our day to day. Yet, even though we are different, we, just like birds and bears, go through very intentional seasons of quiet nesting and resting, so that we can explore and soar. For some, the Bird & Bear will feel like a quiet nest or den to come home to, and for others it will feel like an invitation, or perhaps a gentle nudge, to step out and explore the wilderness of our lives.”

Like many over the past 18 months, the Bird & Bear has had to pivot and evolve in response to the pandemic, but it’s the spirit of the collective that has not only sustained it’s momentum, but has their space (in-person and online) to come alongside so many birds and bears…each of you. 

During a “typical” month at the collective (there is nothing typical about the collective), the calendar will include a variety of invitations, small business pop-ups, and special events. Unique workshops take place 3-4 days a week across creativity, leadership, and wellness ~ examples include creating charcuterie boards, learning about the Enneagram, flower design, wellness with essential oils, hand-lettering, and productivity. Small businesses and brands have the opportunity to host private or public pop-up events that feature their products and services. During the week there is space available for people to work, host a meeting, or simply step away from their day-to-day into a space designed to welcome and encourage. And while the backyard barn is no longer headquarters for the Bird & Bear, it remains a destination for photographers to capture families and brands. 

If you haven’t yet visited the Bird & Bear’s new location at 763 Washington Street, we encourage you to do so. The space has been beautifully designed by Medway local Sabrina Pettinichio, and is alive with the sisterhood contributions of many local entrepreneurs (Abigail Furey, Sue Conroy, Paulina Teng, Kim Chisholm, Corinne Lewis, Tara Barrows, Laura McGann, Molly Bradosky, Anne St. Vrain, and many more). 

You can follow them on social media @birdandbearcollective and visit their website www.birdandbearcollective.com