What began as a creative journey has grown into a bigger vision for craftsmanship, innovation, and the performance community.
I never set out with a grand plan to build The Feather Fan Shop. Like many things in my life, it grew out of a combination of creativity, curiosity, unexpected opportunities, and a willingness to explore what might be possible.
Looking back, one of the best things that ever happened to me was getting laid off.
At the time, it was an unexpected turning point. But I was fortunate enough to receive a workforce grant that allowed me to get a graphic design certification. During that time, I learned to look at materials differently. To ask questions. To experiment. To understand that the right design isn't always the most obvious one—and that sometimes the best innovations come from being willing to try something nobody else is doing.
Seeing Possibilities Others Weren't Exploring
For me, feather fans have always been about more than their appearance. They're performance tools, extensions of an artist's body, and instruments of movement, illusion, and expression. They need to be beautiful, of course, but they also need to work.
That means thinking about how a fan feels in the hand, how it moves through the air, how it holds up to use, and how it supports the performer's vision. It also needs to be collapsible and practical for gigging, holding up through hundreds of practices and performances.
I remember handling another performer's set of acrylic fans, being fascinated by the beauty of the feathers and completely disappointed with the weight. I never owned a set of premade fans, instead, I took my curiosity to Home Depot.
I cut my first set of fans staves out of home siding. It worked, but I kept experimenting with other materials. I wasn't interested in simply reproducing what already existed. I somehow knew what would be best had not yet been done.
My best innovation was discovering metal for fan staves. I wish it had been a moment that just worked, but even that was a journey of discovery. From composition, thickness, weight and strength, the options are endless and so are the costs. I had to spend years exploring how the properties influenced a finished product. Luckily, I was the best tester, performing multiple times a week and always with my feather fans.
As my fan staves continued to evolve and mature, so did my construction techniques and sourcing connections. Passion for the prop was all I needed to keep navigating the time, cost, failures and successes.
No longer on the stage, my spirit of experimentation continues to influence how I think about product development today. Innovation, to me, isn't about changing something just for the sake of being different. It's about finding opportunities to improve, solve problems, and create something that offers genuine value to the person using it.
From Donna Touch to The Feather Fan Shop
For a long time, my work and identity were closely tied to Donna Touch. That name represents an important part of my journey, my creativity, and the relationships I've built along the way.
But as the business has grown, I've realized that the vision has grown beyond one person.
The Feather Fan Shop gives that vision room to become something bigger: a brand with its own identity, a broader product offering, and a foundation built around quality, creativity, and the needs of the people who use our fans.
This evolution isn't about abandoning the spotlight. It's about utilizing the entire stage.
My years of experimentation, design work, and experience with feather fans remain at the heart of what we do. What changes is the opportunity to bring that experience to more people, develop new ideas, strengthen our offerings, and build a business that's positioned for the future.
I want The Feather Fan Shop to be recognized not just for the products we sell, but for the thought, experience, and intention behind them.
Standing for Quality in a Crowded Market
As feather fans have become more visible and the market has expanded, more makers and sellers have entered the space. I think it's wonderful that more people are discovering these beautiful tools and that interest in fan dancing continues to grow.
At the same time, a crowded market creates challenges. Designs can be imitated, products can look similar in photographs, and it isn't always easy for customers to distinguish between different levels of craftsmanship.
After investing so much time in design, experimentation, and understanding materials, I know that the details matter.
A fan isn't just something to look at. It needs to perform. The construction, materials, balance, movement, and durability all contribute to the experience. For performers who depend on their fans, those details can make a real difference.
I want The Feather Fan Shop to compete by continuing to innovate, paying attention to craftsmanship, and helping customers understand the value of a thoughtfully developed product. I want to keep asking questions, exploring possibilities, and developing products that reflect our own experience and standards.
Our goal is to give customers a reason to choose us—not just because they recognize the name or like the look of a fan, but because they trust the thought and care behind it.
Building a Business That Supports the Community
There's another part of this evolution that's just as important to me: the people.
The feather fan community includes performers, instructors, students, collectors, makers, and enthusiasts, each bringing something valuable to the art form. I've seen how much creativity, knowledge, and generosity exist within this world, and I believe that supporting the community is part of building a successful business.
I don't want The Feather Fan Shop to exist in isolation from the people who use our products. I want us to be connected to their experiences, their education, their performances, and their growth.
That means finding ways to celebrate instructors, help students discover new opportunities, share the work of performers, and create more visibility for the people who dedicate their time and energy to this art.
It also means recognizing that we all have a role to play in the future of feather fan artistry. We can encourage thoughtful craftsmanship, share knowledge, celebrate innovation, and help new generations of performers discover what these fans can do.
Competition is part of any growing market, but I believe there's also room for collaboration, mutual respect, and a stronger community. The more we help people discover, learn, and appreciate the art form, the more opportunities there are for everyone who contributes to it.
The Next Chapter
When I think about the journey from Donna Touch to The Feather Fan Shop, I see a continuation of the same curiosity that brought me here in the first place.
I'm still the person who wants to experiment with materials, rethink a design, explore an idea, and see whether something can be done differently. I'm still excited by the possibilities that emerge when creativity meets practical problem-solving.
What has changed is the scale of the vision.
The Feather Fan Shop is an opportunity to build something that can grow beyond my individual work while remaining rooted in the principles that have always mattered to me: innovation, thoughtful design, quality, and a genuine appreciation for the people who make this community special.
I'm proud of where the journey began, grateful for the unexpected turns that helped shape it, and excited about what comes next.
