Greer Goodman, Co-Founder & Design Director
Greer grew up in the midwest, where she was bottle-fed Modernism from infancy on weekend “fieldtrips” with her mom, whether walking miles through Chicago’s neighborhoods of architectural import, or pouring over Phillipe Stark furniture and Artemide lighting catalogs at the Merchandise Mart. Not only wasn’t it torturous, but it was delightful, and graced (?) her with a bull-dogged ability to outlast most normal humans in the sport of product pursuit, both real world and internet based.
A graduate of Vassar College and the Pratt Institute of Design, Greer's career has spanned several industries including film, museum education, architecture and retail buying and visual merchandising.
During a trip to India in early 2019, Greer’s passion for travel, chance but meaningful relationships and utilitarian objects were reignited in the backseat of a rickshaw, zipping from labyrinth markets to tiny crockery shops and even just running errands with a driver named Sajid. Back in the states a few months later, catalyzed by Sajid’s need to replace a broken rickshaw, Greer decided to start Abroad Modern, both to fulfill her lifetime desire to have a shop, spend more time in rickshaws and supplement Sajid’s income by employing him to help source.
She lives in Somerville, MA, with her two children, two cats with 90’s Indie Rock-inspired names and an unfortunately New England Victorian-style home, the fussy lines of which are juxtaposed by a few cherished articles of Modern architectural import.
Joy Kolin, Co-Founder & Social Impact Director
When Joy was three years old, she took her first and most unforgettable trip: across the sea to visit her grandmother in Israel. After that, the wandering spirit stayed with her. A self-proclaimed Tex-Raeli, Joy’s childhood and young adult life were lived between Houston and Tel Aviv.After living in Israel for 15 years, she returned to the US to pursue a graduate degree in International Relations from John Hopkins University.
As an adult, she looked for every opportunity to travel abroad, and that passion coupled with a career in International Development allowed Joy to visit some 63 countries, as well as live in Kenya and Nigeria for several years. Throughout her personal and professional travels, her goal has remained the same: to help people live a better life by contributing to sustaining peace, supporting democracy, and improving healthcare systems.
In 2018, she founded Giving Joy, a non-profit that provides micro-grants to women entrepreneurs worldwide. In 2020, she joined Greer at Abroad Modern 1.0, utilizing her incredible skills as a relationship forger and impact driver to amplify the shop’s social initiatives. Officially becoming an Owner and Director of Social Impact in 2021, Joy was instrumental in Abroad Modern’s pandemic survival, as well as in rebooting, building and Co-Founding the business as we know it today.
Joy lives in Somerville, MA, with her husband and sweet dog. She somehow manages to simultaneously work in International Development, direct Giving Joy, grow Abroad Modern, travel extensively, cook delicious meals and sometimes practice Yoga.