The history of Fern & Nettle dates back to more than a decade ago, when owner Jenny Aicher took in a soap-making demonstration at Old World Wisconsin. “I was fascinated, and my friend and I made soaps for Christmas gifts for friends and family,” she recalls. “Then we decided we should make a business of it.” Their first few markets, in 2013, were a joint venture, Jenny adds, but they decided to part ways by the end of the year. “We are still great friends,” she notes.

A former Montessori teacher, Jenny grew Fern & Nettle as a side hustle for years before jumping into entrepreneurship full time. “During the pandemic, I unexpectedly resigned from my teaching position and became a part-time classroom assistant,” Jenny explains. “Eventually, in the fall of 2021, I decided to make the leap to leaving education after more than a decade, and focus all of my energy on Fern & Nettle. I haven’t regretted that decision, which I wanted to make for so long, but I had been scared of losing the safety and benefits of my (education) career.”

Today, more than a decade has passed since the initial launch, and much has changed. “I had no idea what I was doing in the beginning,” Jenny remembers. “Makers markets were barely a thing, and Etsy was the go-to for handmade.” A few unfortunate experiences with the consignment model led her to expand into wholesale, reaching other small businesses and shops. Then, the Covid-19 pandemic—and the resulting shuttering of markets—hit. “It was pretty exhausting, and many of us just threw things and saw what stuck,” she says of that time. “Luckily, the community rallied and supported small businesses, and people were washing their hands a lot so I made it through.” Maker markets are now more popular, but also more saturated.

“I focus now more on my relationships with brick-and-mortar shops, and last fall I became part of a collective space, called Cozy Collective, with a few other makers here in Bay View,” says Jenny, noting that five makers share the space. “It’s really chill, we all get along great and share a tiny space, and we are only open weekends. It’s a small commitment for all five of us, but also scratches the itch of having a shop. With the on-again, off-again tariffs, I planned ahead and saved a lot of money to be able to purchase supplies in bulk as the tariffs were starting. It was terrifying to purchase everything I thought I might need to make it through the year, ordering multiple pallets of containers and herbs and essential oils. But it is another way we, as small businesses, have to keep pivoting and adjusting to the unexpected.”

There are other challenges to owning a small business, of course, such as knowing how to file and pay sales taxes, bookkeeping, and the reality that you’ll likely work way more than 40 hours per week, but the rewards are far-reaching. For Jenny, flexibility is key. “I am also absolutely amazed that I make products that people choose to buy and use and give to their families and friends. I love getting a text from a friend after they saw a Fern & Nettle candle in their aunt’s bathroom or a soap in a cute shop while on vacation. It really is amazing—and never gets old.”

We asked Jenny to recount how she’d spend an entirely free summer day in Milwaukee. Here’s what she said:

She’d start with a bike ride on the Oak Leaf Trail, before it gets too hot, and then shower and head to Seven Swans in Riverwest for brunch. “I might pop over to Ebb and Flow and get some gummy candies to snack on, too,” Jenny adds.
Then, she’d take a walk through Veterans Park, past the Milwaukee Art Museum and Lakeshore State Park, and then grab lunch at Forage Kitchen in the Milwaukee Public Market. “I’d bop around the Third Ward,” she adds, “and maybe stop at ModGen and get a little treasure, or walk to Ursa in my neighborhood and get another fun hair clip.
“Next, I’d head back to my home in Bay View, grab some floaties and pack a cooler with snacks, and head to the beach and float in Lake Michigan,” Jenny says. She’d grab a beer at South Shore Beer Garden, and then rinse off and head to dinner. “A favorite spot to bring friends is DanDan, so maybe there, or Transfer for pizza, steamed pork buns at Braise, or, if I’m feeling fancy, Birch,” she says. “then I’d close the night with a backyard fire with my favorite friends.”