Megan Amadon-Cowan calls a lot of places “home.”
Although the now 32-year-old was born in Detroit, Amadon-Cowan was raised on the road by her entertainer father and artist mother alongside her four siblings. The family toured with various festivals throughout the Midwest and East Coast, until eventually settling in East Detroit when Amadon was 10 years old.
“I call many places ‘home,’ but Detroit proper has been my homebase for over 10 years,” she said.
As a self-proclaimed “Wayne State BFA graduate with a major crafting addiction,” Amadon-Cowan started Finch Finery in 2012 on the popular handmade eCommerce site Etsy. For her, the natural feather jewelry and accessories business started as a hobby and soon transformed into an effort in paying off student loans. Amadon-Cowan invested $200 into purchasing various feathers when feather extensions were popular and began experimenting by creating her first product and eventual staple for friends; feather earrings.
“The first year was slow and not very successful, but as I learned more and experimented with products and styles, sales started to build and come in from around the world, which was exciting,” Amadon-Cowan said.
Now in its sixth year, Finch Finery has become Amadon-Cowan’s full-time business and has shipped products items to all 50 states, 2 US territories, and over 35 countries. Over 300 customers have written personal messages and reviews to Finch Finery, which according to her, is the “biggest reward I could ever ask for.” Amadon-Cowan credits her family and friends, as well as her unconventional upbringing, as the inspiration behind it all.
“My friends, family and my travels are truly the inspiration behind it all. I would tie my creativity to my mom and my ambition to my dad. They’ve all raised me up to use my imagination which gave me opportunity to create something out of nothing,” she said.
Amadon-Cowan also attributes this as the reason behind making Detroit the permanent home for Finch Finery:
“There is a lot of opportunity to create here and produce quality, unique and handmade goods. People here appreciate artists and Michigan-made products, which makes the business venture exciting.”
While Amadon-Cowan aspires to eventually own her own brick-and-mortar store, she’s currently enjoying the flexibility of selling her products at events and festivals like Electric Forest, The Night Market at Beacon Park and more. Customers can find Finch Finery in-person at the Night Market at Beacon Park every Saturday until August 25th and Eastern Market on Sundays.
To purchase your own Finch Finery creation or to keep up to date on Finch Finery’s in-person events, visit Finch Finery’s website or the Amazon Handmade section.