Modern Bird: From Home-Made to Boutique

When Laura Flavin moved to Philadelphia with her husband in 2009, she didn’t originally plan on opening her own store for Modern Bird.

Flavin, a silversmith who creates and sells her own jewelry at her Germantown Avenue boutique, got her start selling her creations on Etsy.com. Though she had run a store in Florida before moving to the city, when she stumbled across her to-be store space at the bottom of the hill, she was unsure what she would do with it.

But with Flavin’s background in retail and her love of people, Modern bird grew into the brick and mortar store at 7904 Germantown Ave. The space gave her the opportunity to move from her home studio and into a “bigger and better” space to work, and also gave her the opportunity to curate her own studio space where folks could come socialize and shop.

Flavin’s challenge, though she doesn’t seem to see it as a big one, is learning to be the maker, photographer, promoter, curator, and shipper of her works as a store owner and entrepreneur. “You wear every hat,” she said.

Flavin’s work features themes of love and nature. Birds are incorporated into much of her jewelry, which stems from a term of endearment her future husband gave her when the two began dating back in Florida. Her simple designs and aesthetic are inspired by her background in mid-century works.

With the start of the new year, Flavin hopes to balance her time between the store and updating her Etsy page and online store with her work. In her down time, Flavin enjoys spending time outside and out in nature. She loves to channel “the simple parts of life we all enjoy” into her pieces.

Modern Bird is open from Wednesday-Saturday from 10am-6pm. Learn more about the studio and gallery and shop online by visiting Flavin’s Facebook, Etsy, Flickr, Pinterest, website and blog, or give her a call at 813-495-8322.