Situated only five minutes from Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Jennifer Falconer’s home design boutique manages to flawlessly balance a touch of whimsy with nautical flair. After a 25-year career in fashion, during which Falconer held executive positions in marketing and merchandising at major brand names such as J. Crew and Victoria’s Secret, Falconer she decided to leave the corporate world to open Found Objects by the Sea. “While working at these national brands, I was tasked with putting together collections,” she says. “And this skill has successfully translated into presenting vignettes, a story with each piece.” The foundation of her boutique is vintage furniture, which she presents so that customers feel a point of view and a particular sentiment when they enter the store.
In the early 2000s, Falconer lived in Manchester while commuting each day into Boston. In 2004, she made the move back to New York City, returning to the North Shore in 2011 when she found the listing for her future store’s location, which she saw as a great sign. Since 2012, Falconer has run Found Objects, where the local aspect is an important factor to her. “I look for ‘found objects’ that relate to the ocean, which is reflected in the colors of the furniture and textiles,” she says. Falconer chooses her pieces to maintain a slight, but not overpowering, nautical flavor in the boutique. With its location so close to the beach, the seaside is present throughout the store.
To give her shop as much of a local flavor as she can, Falconer works with as many artisans from the area as possible. From furniture to jewelry and bird houses, Found Objects is filled with pieces that are “not to be found around the corner,” as Falconer says. Indeed, the collections of jewelry are not pieces that will be readily found in other stores and the home fragrances, candles, and soaps Falconer carries aren’t easily found elsewhere. Her collection of personal products, candles, and home fragrances includes only the best from all-natural lines such as LAFCO and Formulary 55.
In creating an atmosphere for Found Objects, Falconer found inspiration in the idea of putting together a space where customers could come to the store to relax, peruse design books, and purchase her unique items if they felt compelled. “I was inspired by the concept of a store where a customer can come in and have the shop suit whatever mood they are feeling,” she says. Her home, gardening, and personal products are kept varied so that her shoppers can buy for themselves, their friends, and their homes. Found Objects is brimming with fanciful and carefully curated pieces that have led to Falconer’s working with customers to design their homes on a limited basis. “A customer will usually ask for help with designing their own space because they enjoy the feel of the store,” she says. Yet, she does not limit herself to only what is available in the boutique. In order to help her clients create the feel they are searching for, she will take the time to search for the exact right pieces, just as she does for her shop.
An avid gardener Falconer is inspired by the idea of a secret garden, filling her gardening section with accessories such as bird houses and terrariums. However this passion is only an extension of the items she curates for her store. Jennifer Falconer has managed to create a boutique that appeals to all the senses.
Found Objects
17 Beach St., Manchester-by-the-Sea, 978-704-9583