The Story of Odd Cod Studio | Made by Hand on the North Shore

That first year brought another early turning point. Like many spouses of new small businesses, Gary found himself with a job he never quite applied for. He started helping me at markets, and we quickly discovered we made a good team out there. He doesn't let things bother him, which is exactly the right energy when I'm painting one more sign at midnight and nothing seems to be drying.

We started experimenting. Swampscott's fish pier extends into the harbor, visible from the road and, to us, the landmark that represents the town more than anything else. I had sketched the pier and the adjacent Swampscott Fish House, the oldest active fish house in the country. We thought, why not put it on a shirt? So we got into hand-screened apparel. Gary, it turned out, was a natural. Those fish pier shirts and Fish House sweatshirts became some of our most popular items at local markets, and they still are.

We were also doing local markets and craft fairs in those early years, building our presence one event at a time. At the very first event where we sold t-shirts, we met the daughter of a woman opening a small, local gift shop. She thought our signs, tees, and sweatshirts would be a great fit for their line and introduced us to her mother. It became our first retail partnership, and for the next few years we sold signs, t-shirts, and ornaments there until it closed in 2023.

The Laser and the Ornaments

We added a laser engraver and started making holiday ornaments featuring my sketches of local landmarks, and mini signs, miniature versions of our hand-painted wooden signs just small enough for a tree. They sold out that first season. We've been making them every year since.

A Pause, and a Pivot

When Covid hit, markets shut down and everything slowed. We did limited local markets through that period and pulled back considerably. The local gift shop closed in 2023. We took stock, stayed close to home, and honestly wondered at times if the momentum was gone. It felt like the wind had gone out of it.

Then came the rope.

I wanted a wreath for our front door, so I made one, the same way the very first sign started: just making something for myself. It looked nice and I hung it on the front door. People noticed and said they liked it. Something clicked. Gary and I looked at each other and realized we weren't done at all. We were just getting started.

The signs and the rope formed a solid, cohesive core for a business we were genuinely excited about. The signs celebrated place. The ropework honored the maritime traditions that built the coastal communities we call home. Together they told a story that felt completely like us. In July 2025 we brought the rope wreaths to Swampscott's Summer Fest, our first major market back, and had our best day of sales up to that point. I left that festival ready to grow.

We joined the Ipswich Farmers' Market, and that turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. It felt like fate from the start. The market organizer was opening a new shop and we jumped on board. That became our current retail partnership with Homegrown Creative Collective. But the gift of that market was bigger than any single shop. The other vendors there are genuinely supportive of one another, and we love that sense of community. We now do smaller pop-ups together, a group of makers who believe in each other's work. That kind of thing is rare, and we don't take it for granted.

Going Deeper

I already knew some knots. I grew up sailing on the South Shore, and my dad was a lineman who taught me the practical side of working with rope. I had that foundation without realizing it would one day become central to what we make. What I didn't expect was how meditative the work would be. Tying a larger piece like a wreath or a bowl takes focus and repetition, and there is something genuinely calming about it.

We use traditional maritime techniques to make modern coastal artisan goods. It is a connection between place, history, and the way people live today.

Gary and I threw ourselves into learning. We bought books. We watched hours of YouTube. We practiced knots we'd never tied before: the Turk's Head, the Monkey's Fist, the Carrick Bend, the Matthew Walker. We got obsessed in the best possible way. We are now proud members of the International Guild of Knot Tyers North America, and we continue to learn with every piece we make.

The ropework collection grew quickly from that first wreath, adding Mariner's knot wall art, rope bowls, doorstops, keychains, and jewelry. Each piece tied by hand using traditional marlinspike seamanship techniques applied to pieces designed for modern coastal homes.

Why Odd Cod?

The name had been in my head long before the business existed. The cod is woven into the history of New England, shaping the economy and identity of these coastal communities for centuries. The Sacred Cod has hung in the Massachusetts State House since 1784. It is not just a fish. It is a symbol of where we come from.

And 'Odd'? New Englanders have always had a particular independence about them. The towns along this coast have their own identities, their own histories, their own quiet pride. Nothing here is generic. The name felt like it captured that spirit, and the spirit of what we were making.

What It's About

People often ask what the best part of running Odd Cod Studio is. It's easy. It's meeting the people who love what we make, hearing the stories behind the custom orders. The family who wants a sign with the name of the harbor where their grandfather taught them to sail. The couple who wants a cutting board engraved with the coordinates of where they got engagement. The person who grew up in a town on the South Shore and wants something that says home.

Those conversations are why we do this. The craftsmanship matters deeply to us. We care about every knot, every brushstroke, every engraved line. But what we're really making, at the end of the day, is a way for people to hold onto the places they love.

We're rooted on the North Shore, but inspired by the New England coast.