Caroline Goddard
We sat down with business owner and creative Caroline Goddard of Tend, to talk about staying true to our values in career, and in our life choices.
We talked about ways to be thoughtful when deciding what goes into our homes and on our bodies, sustainability, fashion, and reducing our environmental footprint by shopping secondhand. We hope you enjoy reading our conversation.
You’re a photographer, business owner, handy woman, and shop curator; where do you find your inspiration?
Imagery! I read photographs like they have words, pouring over every detail they contain. I can stare at a book of images for hours.
Also, traveling! And when that isn’t possible, foreign cinema and TV shows, to soak in the spaces and get a new language in my ear.
At museums - I always put museums on trip itineraries, no matter how small the town I’m visiting. I visited the Judd and Chinati Foundations in Marfa, Texas right before opening Tend, and was inspired by Donald Judd’s materials library as I was creating Tend’s own studio space.
Tend’s tagline is “imbued objects.” What traditions surrounding objects from your upbringing do you carry with you?
My mom is an artist and my dad is an incredible mechanical engineer, and they are both antique enthusiasts. From my mom I learned to delight in playful juxtapositions of objects and their stories. Nothing about our home was “matchy matchy” or stuck to one style. The most important thing was the story behind each object, or the feelings that they surfaced. Every meal with my family is a chance to pull out beloved ceramics and create a sense of ceremony around the table.
“The most important thing was the story behind each object, and the feelings that they surfaced.”
I hope to recreate that same sense of ceremony in my own home, and sourcing secondhand pieces has been a huge part of that, at first for budget reasons, and now as a matter of preference. Brand new things feel alien in my home (and in my closet), unless there is a compelling story to their creation.
From my dad, I learned to be meticulous about projects, and at least understand how to do things properly even if, in the end, I chose to cut corners. He taught me to take good care of my house and possessions, and think of myself as their steward, more than their owner. I actually think I’m pretty handy, and I have my dad to thank for starting me young!
What sort of training and education did you pursue?
I majored in Visual Art at Brown University. After graduating, I was lucky to find photography mentors who hired me to assist and second shoot for them while teaching me a ton, so that my knowledge and skill developed on the job. And, instead of getting an MFA, I gravitated towards workshops and certificate programs, like those at Maine Media, MECA and the Aegean Center. For me, they were much more affordable and less of a time commitment, which benefited me in multiple ways: for one, I did not struggle with enormous grad school loans in my 20s.
For another, I found that taking focused workshops offered much more technical skill building than a more conceptually-focused MFA would have done.
All of these experiences have helped me navigate a career as a freelance photographer. But Tend has tapped into another side of myself I wanted to express: my entrepreneurial one.
To help get Tend off the ground, I took a business class through the Center for Women and Enterprise, which has chapters in every state and offers subsidized tuition for small business owners. The course helped me with the aspects of running a creative business that I did not have training in, like defining a business plan.
“Creative energy is a super power.”
Can you tell us about how your career started out?
Entering the job market with an art degree in 2010 – with an economy still roiled by the recession – was not ideal, and I basically didn't say no to anyone who asked me to freelance photograph or write for them for years, because I was so grateful for the work. Eventually, I realized how completely life draining that had become, to be using my creativity for companies that did not align with my values. I loved creating compelling stories and images - creative energy is a super power! But pumping my super power in the wrong direction left me feeling emotionally adrift.
I decided to strike out into more risky, but rewarding creative ventures on my own. I was lucky to have a really supportive family that helped (and often housed) me along the way.
You recently moved from Newport, RI to northern NH. Can you tell us why you made the move?
Love! And a chance to drink in a new place and the inspiration it has to offer.
I feel very grateful to get to stay in the mid-century ski cabin my grandparents built in the early 1960s, and do some clean-out and DIY renovation projects in exchange for a safe place to weather Covid with my partner, who grew up three houses down the road.
Up here, life is weather, light and nature centered. If the sun sets behind the mountains at 3:45, you plan your walk in the woods for 3. If you are feeling sleepy at your desk, you get out in the cold air and move. If fresh snow arrives, you drop everything and ski!
I’m also learning a lot about resourcefulness from my partner, John, and his family. There aren’t a lot of available contractors north of the ‘notch, so when things go awry, or you want something done, you often have to figure it out yourself. Youtube is an incredible teacher and his family jokes about their various associates degrees from Youtube U.
There are also very few places to discard or donate things other than the tri-town dump, which is forcing me to confront what the end-of-life looks like for so many seemingly innocuous household things...
“A lot of things can be reused if there is just a way for it to get from user to user[.]”
I wish everyone in America had to take their trash to the dump. Seeing mountains of e-waste, tennis court sized clusters of refrigerators, and so much stuff that has to go in the trash even if you think it could be donated.
A lot of things can be reused if there is just a way for it to get from user to user, like egg cartons! Everyone stacks them up at the dump so that local chicken farmers can grab them. I recently scored a pristine pair of lamp shades from their daily “free pile” for John’s mom. I wish the town had the resources to create a more permanent dump “store,” like the Dumptique on Martha's Vineyard, where everything would be free or a nominal, by the pound fee.
If a place could describe your style and aesthetic, where would it be and why?
Probably Paris, because to me it sits on a fault line, culturally and aesthetically, between northern European minimalism, sobriety and reservedness, and Mediterranean warmth, openness, joie de vivre, color and playfulness. I’m constantly flitting between the two modes, which speaks to the duality in my heritage. My friend Emily and I jokingly call the modes ‘Summer’ and ‘Winter’ Caroline. Summer Caroline is when my French heritage and romantic side comes out to play. Winter Caroline leans more into the aesthetic of colder climes — Scandinavian minimalism, the Japanese concept of wabi sabi, and New England colonial style.
What values do you prioritize when making decisions for your business, Tend?
From the beginning, I did not want to create a retail experience that caved to the pressure of having everything be on trend and just-so. I have serious concerns about the environmental impacts of expecting this level of polish from absolutely everything as a culture. And, I find it boring!
I saw an opportunity to embrace the character and sustainability that comes with the imperfect when building out Tend’s studio shop. I was inspired by several stores in Japan that used simple, vintage display furniture and lighting, yet the merchandising was done in such a fresh, neat, minimal way. It felt exciting to see clean lines and modern merchandising coexist with what is old and worn and already here in this world for us to use. Donald Judd did this wonderfully in his spaces, too. In the end, I created Tend’s studio in much the same way that I’ve created my personal spaces - by avoiding new things, and by allowing imperfections and idiosyncrasies to play off the more curated pieces. Spatial design isn’t interesting to me when everything matches or “fits” - it is in contrast that we can discover a visual dialogue. It is in using what we have, creatively and adaptively, that we challenge ourselves to grow.
As this business evolves, I hope to encourage others to shop secondhand wherever possible, whether through Tend or on their own. So much of our material needs (for things like homeware and clothing) can be met with things we’ve already made, it’s actually kind of insane. I believe so strongly in this abundance that I’d like to become more of a resource for those seeking to be thrifters for themselves.
When going into a thrift store –
A lot of people get completely overwhelmed, and I hear you! A few tricks I’ve learned:
Never thrift when you are hungry or tired. Trust me, you will definitely get overwhelmed, and cranky. A quick browse of a thrift store is a great thing to do with friends on a Saturday morning right after you’ve had coffee.
Go often. Thrift stores get new items all the time, and you just never know what you might find from one day to the next. Stopping by frequently gives you the best chance at finding treasures when they appear.
Keep a shopping list of what you may need in your head, but don’t get hung up on it. There is no guarantee that you’ll find what you are looking for on any given trip. So, best to be mindful of what “gaps” are in your wardrobe or home, and wait until the right piece comes your way. Keep a note of measurements for your home, like the windows you need to cover or the nook you’d like to fill, as well as a purse-size tape measure, and be patient. The more you can incorporate regular thrifting into your life, the less frequently you will experience an urgent need for something specific that you have to go to Amazon or the mall to fill.
When shopping for clothing —
Try a lot on! Especially in consignment stores, I have so much fun with this. It’s a great way to sample a huge swathe of brands and fits, without any one brand impressing their idea of style or body type on you.
Check the fabric content tag — I don’t find that polyester or acrylic blends hold up, and they are static-y in winter and way too hot in summer. I gravitate towards natural fibers. While I prefer wool, cotton, linen and silk, I’m also ok with rayon, tencel and viscose, which are produced from plant fibers.
And I’ll just add, when shopping secondhand for clothing, make sure to give yourself a loving and gentle squeeze. You are subverting a mountain of targeted marketing that tells women that our capacity to dress ourselves in new, form fitting, on-trend items should be limitless. This idea has very real impacts on our sense of self worth, our financial well being, and the future of our planet, and it denies so much of our truth and power as women. The female body is always on a beautiful changing trajectory. It is unrealistic for our clothing to not accommodate that, and I hope the fashion world will wake up to designing timeless clothing that can evolve with us.
When shopping for the home —
Be open to what truly excites you, and makes you feel a sense of joy. If you're drawn to something, you are drawn to it, design trends be damned.
What are your favorite places to shop secondhand in the Newport area?
Savers - I especially like the ones in Fall River and Providence
Salvation Army - I love the one on Pitman Street in Providence
“[T]he female body is always on a beautiful changing trajectory. It is unrealistic for our fashion to not accommodate that.”
Can you talk more about why buying secondhand matters so much to you?
Shopping at nearby charity, thrift, consignment and antique shops keeps your dollars within the community, often with organizations that do further good, like St. Paul’s in Newport, which donates all their proceeds to local nonprofits.
And it’s more affordable! Thrift stores acquire their merchandise for free, so they can sell goods for well below market value. Just note that if you buy secondhand from an antique store, consignment store or vintage reseller like Tend, expect to pay more for the time, investment and elbow grease we put into curating a selection for you.
Perhaps most significantly, shopping secondhand is the most sustainable and ethical form of consumption, other than doing without, repairing what you have, or participating in community swaps. Used items represent a sunk environmental cost and require little additional energy to resell (although as with all consumption, there is still a footprint that should not be beyond scrutiny).
By contrast, brands selling new items do not pay the full environmental and social cost of making their products, whether they are a luxury label, tout affordable price tags or use “greenwashed” marketing tactics to justify an upcharge. This is because they are likely underpaying their workers, and because we don’t charge manufacturers for the full weight of their carbon emissions, end-of-life disposal burden and other environmental impacts. Although it will absolutely make shopping more expensive, I believe we should be transitioning to a system that includes these costs on the price tags of our goods. We will need to address issues of equity and access to offset the rising cost of living that this would create, but I believe it will be a problem worth solving. As a species, we will always consume, but we only get one planet. The system needs tuning.
Of course, it isn’t possible for us to shop secondhand 100% of the time - it takes time to hunt for items that fit our bodies and meet a given need. Rather, I think we should be aiming to incorporate more secondhand items into our consumption habits wherever it feels doable for each of us. It’s ok for change to be incremental. And when you have to buy new, since labels don’t really represent where and how goods are made at each stage of manufacture, try to stick to brands that are transparent about their supply chain and their business ethics.
Can you share with us something that you are currently learning more about?
I’m taking the Nalanda Institute’s Compassion-Based Resilience Training (CBRT) course right now, with the help of my therapist, Gretchen Blycker — another island woman who has taught me so much about our capacity to self soothe and heal through mindfulness, which is such an incredible, ancient body of knowledge from India and Tibet.
What would you set out to do if you had no constraints?
John and I would really like to build a traditional, wood fired sauna ourselves. Between visiting the exquisite Washington Baths in Portland, Maine last month, and reading Katherine May’s book Wintering, I’m all full of ideas for how to get through future winters in the north!
What is on the horizon for you in the next few months?
A trip to Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France to see our friends and family members that we have been separated from for years. So many new babies to meet! And nightgowns to source…
To see more of Caroline, follow @tend____ on Instagram.
To shop Tend online, visit https://www.shop-tend.com/.
