TEAK & TWINE
We first stumbled upon Teak & Twine last year via Instagram. It was hard not to immediately fall in love with their beautiful design, style + packaging. While we typically focus on Georgia-based businesses, we love that Teak supports the small "mom + pop" makers -- wherever that may be. Each box is filled with locally-sourced products and is hand-crafted to fit your needs and expectations. Read more about Teak's founder, Torrance Hart, and her passion for craftsmanship and life's little details.
Tell us about yourself: Torrance Hart, current resident of Destin, Florida and creator of Teak and Twine.
Goal of your company? It sounds trite but at Teak, we are all about surprising people and making their day! I love knowing that our clients are coming from a situation of gratitude + generosity whenever they reach out to us.
What makes you tick? Serial. Reading books about human behavior, business, and biographies. I also love working on home renovations -- in fifty years someone is going to find 7 layers of grey paint on every wall and think I was crazy!
Personal mantra: I am a huge fan of the Holstee Manifesto. It came into my life at the perfect time in 2012 and I still have it on the wall in my office.
Health trend you're loving: Every morning I drink a glass of water mixed with AmazingGrass and I swear by it!
TASTE & SEE COFFEE WITH MELODY JOY
Taste and See Coffee Shop and Gallery, located on Poplar Street in downtown Macon, offers a unique coffee house environment. Whether you need somewhere to sit and blog or sip brew with friends, Taste and See is the spot. They offer a delicious variety from Counter Culture Coffee made by professionally-trained baristas; everything from classic coffee to housemade specialty beverages. From the early stages of menu-planning, Taste and See was determined to offer high quality, natural and pure ingredients. A portion of each day is spent making fresh syrups and sauces. They do not use any synthetic sweeteners, chemicals, or preservatives and only serve organic coffee, milks and organic nondairy milks. In addition, they use raw organic cocoa powder, raw agave nectar, local raw honey and raw cane sugar.
Since "April showers" is a very real thing in Georgia, we decided to enjoy a particularly greyish day by curling up on the plush couches at Taste with our friend Melody of Melody Joy Designs to talk coffee, community and how she keeps healthy with a busy bee calendar of traveling!
Tell us your name: Melody Joy Munn
Hometown + Current city: I was born in Tampa but consider Chicago my hometown since I moved there early on. My current city is Warner Robins, GA. God has given me wonderful friends in this area and it is definitely a calm escape from my delightfully exciting life of traveling.
Biz inspo? My business is called Melody Joy Designs. I am a web and graphic designer. I absolutely love re-branding businesses and helping startup companies become more well-known. My inspiration is definitely the fact that my husband Christopher (Munn Brothers) has many creative talents as well and we are able to spend quality time traveling and working alongside each other on different projects.
Coffee community: My coffee journey started when I was in elementary school. I would sneak coffee at my grandpa’s all of the time. Through college it became more of a “tool” for studying and staying awake during my all-nighters. Present day, it is important to me because I have “matured” in my coffee choices and can taste more of the notes of the beans and blends. While traveling, I am able to try some of the best coffee around the country; Chicago, New York, Savannah, and Atlanta have some of my favorite shops. As my taste for coffee improved, I realized that I needed less flavoring, sugar and cream. I now make my coffee black at home and only have lattes or blended drinks at my most favorite spots. Black coffee not only tastes cleaner but leaves you feeling better. I have definitely noticed a difference in not only my waistline but my budget as well.
Describe yourself in one word: Joyous (my personal mantra is to always choose joy.)
Favorite form of exercise: I enjoy running and swimming. Well, I enjoy the results of running more than the actual running, of course. Even with a busy schedule, I try to make time for it a few days a week.
Pick a Superfood: Blueberries. My husband makes the best blueberry pancakes!
Taste and See Coffee, owned and operated by Brian Nichols and Kevin Reaves.
FINE FEATHERED FRIEND: SUSANNAH
At IFF, our mission is to showcase the movers, shakers and makers in health throughout Georgia. Our friend Susannah Maddux, founder of Goods Public Relations and an instructor at Hometown Yoga, is one of those said shakers. The thing we love most about Susannah is her authenticity -- from her work as Macon's biggest cheerleader to her passion for public health -- she is truly a bright light to everyone she encounters! Read below about her love for yoga, Macon (did we mention it's Cherry Blossom season) and soon-to-be motherhood.
Tell us your name: Susannah Maddux, Founder of Goods Public Relations + yoga instructor at Hometown Yoga.
Hometown + Current city: Monroe, NC / Macon, GA
Inspiration for managing your own biz? For myself: My first boss Allison Beale, my sister, and all the women in the world who wake up every day and change the world. For others: Be flexible and eager to learn from others; ask for help; collaborate often; find a mentor; create and know your team of support; learn from failure; reinvent when necessary; laugh at yourself; show gratitude to others; make time to let go and nourish your creativity; try things.
What is the goal of your company? Short: To get in on and share a good thing when I spot it. Long: To promote and tell the story of small business, brand, or cause via thoughtful, detail-oriented efforts.
What makes you tick: Serving others, collaboration to create good, diversity and inclusiveness, brilliant design, grand vision with obvious fruits, faith, yoga, thoughtful PR, beautiful music, preserving history, storytellers and their stories, artists and their art, selfless people, passionate people, the pursuit of a perfect playlist, NYC, travel, good coffee, shiny things.
Mantra: No day but today.
Best indulgence: Dark chocolate, red wine, a book + a bath… and the occasional new handbag or Alexis Bittar earring.
Health trend you are loving: The local + real food movement.
Describe yourself in one word: Lively!
Preferred pose: Currently: all hip openers. For life: Backbends and Savasana.
How has practicing yoga influenced you? I've been practicing for ten years. Yoga gives me better breath, more space, and releases worry. It makes me shake it out and feel less crazy. It is an absolute must.
What is your go-to source for pregnancy info? What to Expect When You’re Expecting and my mom + sister guidebook.
What moment are you most looking forward to as a mother? Giving more love.
WELCOME!
Hello!
Firstly, we are so thrilled that you are here - visiting our first post, on our first blog. We figured a formal introduction would be helpful to let you know a little bit more about us and why we've started In Fine Feather (IFF).
In Fine Feather:
Excellent appearance, In good form. Healthy; full of vitality and spirit.
Alludes to a bird of a clean, bright feather.
The concept of IFF is to showcase the movers, shakers and makers throughout Georgia, highlighting trends in food, fitness and well-being. Founders Tess Harper and Haley Sheffield intend to - through their unique trades - foster inspiring ideas while spotlighting the South's holistic health community.
For more about Tess and Haley, see Birds Of A Feather.