Flip The Bird
After Endicott, interior design alumna Victoria Farnsworth ’07 followed her chef boyfriend Anthony Marino into the restaurant business and never looked back. The pair launched Flip The Bird in 2019, and their made-to-order fried chicken sandwiches in flavors like Nashville Hot and the fiery Cry Bird quickly developed a cult following. Flip The Bird’s Woburn, Mass., location just opened but if you’re outside the Bay State, don’t fret—we foresee a national franchise in the future. And their merch is a mothercluckin’ good time.
While at Endicott, Leah Phillips ’21 worked with Farnsworth and Marino at a prior restaurant before interning at Flip The Bird (FTB), where she helped with marketing efforts.
“She did such a good job at her internship that I was like, ‘Can you come work for me?’” recalled Farnsworth.
“I’ve always been very creative and crafty with a bunch of design stuff. So, I like getting to pick [Farnsworth’s] brain about that, too. It’s fun getting to create content,” said Phillips, who, as FTB’s Marketing Manager, revamped the website and ran the restaurant’s drool-worthy Instagram account. (Phillips recently departed FTB for a new role in New York City.)
When venturing across the North Shore, you’ll most likely see FTB’s name on the back of a t-shirt or hoodie with their classic logo of an upside-down chicken. But their merch, created by Phillips, also includes tote bags, hats, and more, and is frequently shipped nationwide.
“When people wear it out in public, it stands out,” said Phillips. “You’ll see a giant upside-down chicken on someone’s back, or just the words ‘Flip The Bird,’ or ‘Good Vibes Only’ and it’s something that grabs your attention. You’re like, ‘I want to be a part of that.’”
Pets to Prints & Regina Design
During Covid, graphic design major Brooke Borda ’18 digitally illustrated her puppy, sparking the idea for Pets to Prints. Offering various customizable pet portrait products like cups, hats, ornaments, prints, and beyond, Pets to Prints makes a perfect gift for the pet-obsessed. A graphic design major, Borda said her senior year thesis—in which she created sustainable pet store package designs—“inspired me to realize the potential of starting a business one day.”
As a graphic designer for many years, Regina Vorgang ’80 (graphic design major) worked mostly on the computer but longed to get back to creating artwork by hand. She’d always loved functional art, handwoven rugs, and fiber art, so Vorgang enrolled in weaving workshops, which inspired Regina Design. Now, the California-based artist has combined her graphic design background with weaving to create beautiful and unique abstracted rugs, table runners, and tapestry designs.
Hope Design & Holly Nichols Illustration
With Hope Design, Roxbury, Mass., native visual communications major Devon Holloway ’13 combined his love for street style with positive messaging—all while inspiring his community in the process. “Hope” and even the brand’s tagline, “It takes a village,” are often emblazoned across the brand’s stylish sweatshirts, shirts, hats, and shorts. “Hope is simple yet so powerful, universal yet so unique to every individual we come across,” Holloway said.
After graduating from Endicott with a BFA in studio art, fine arts major Holly Nichols ’13 looked for a way to merge her love of fashion with art. Through Holly Nichols Illustration, the alum now offers beautiful hand-drawn fashion illustrations sold internationally. To date, her illustrations have appeared in campaigns for clients like Disney, TRESemmé, Saks Fifth Avenue, and many more, all while racking up more than 2 million followers on Instagram.
Big Ass Iced Coffee & Coco's Coffee
Living in Seattle at the beginning of the pandemic, communication major Casey Arnold ’14 grew homesick for the oversized coffees from the East Coast. Big Ass Iced Coffee was born. Soon, Arnold moved back east, where the 2022 Spark Tank winner now makes every batch of freeze-dried coffee right here at the Nest. Just add ice and water to enjoy a giant tumbler of iced coffee whenever, wherever. “At Endicott, I learned the sense of community and how important it is to find a community that speaks to you and challenges you but still feels supportive,” she said.
Communication major Samantha (Tyler) Bellows ’08 roasts up delicious specialty-grade coffees alongside her father, Don “Coco” Tyler. What started as a way to honor his Puerto Rican heritage has become Coco’s Coffee, a single-origin, small-batch coffee roaster out of East Kingston, N.H. Established in 2015, the company offers six- and 12-ounce bags of whole bean and ground coffee, spice rubs made with coffee, and accessories like branded mugs. If you’re a coffee lover, check out their worldwide varieties sourced from Brazil, Mexico, Peru, and beyond.
Ruby Jean Photography & Coastal Mass. Brewing
Growing up in a family of artists, photoshoots were a common activity for visual communication major Ruby Wallace-Ewing ’15. While her business, Ruby Jean Photography originally focused on weddings, Wallace-Ewing switched to creative portraits during the pandemic when wedding season was on pause but she soon realized there was booming interest in Goddess-style photoshoots. These days, the southern Maine-based photographer offers fierce and unforgettable creative portraits that empower and embolden her clientele, plus micro-wedding and elopement services, too.
Lifelong friends and Beverly natives Justin Negrotti ’09 (business administration major), Jake Crandell ’11 (hospitality management major), and Tim Corcoran started home brewing in Negrotti’s garage in 2013. Four years later, they launched Coastal Mass. Brewing in their hometown, the alumni own and operate a rustic and unique taphouse and five-barrel brewhouse, producing their heavily fruited, expressive sours, and hop-forward New England-style IPAs themselves.
Copper Dog Books & The Endicott College Bookstore
Who said print was dead? Business management major Julie Karaganis ’13 founded Copper Dog Books in Beverly to give residents a quality selection of books, gifts, cards, and more. The shop also frequently hosts authors to participate in talks and readings. Even if you’re not on the North Shore, you can help keep book buying local through Copper Dog’s online shop—you won’t get this cozy, want-to-read-in-a-big-chair atmosphere from Amazon!
Don’t forget to get your favorite Gull something blue and green from the EC Bookstore! Shop t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, cups, and more.