There is nothing like a life-altering accident to get you thinking about what is important. After a 2017 car accident, Damian Morton realized that floor installation was not what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He’d moved from Del Norte County to Humboldt with his high school girlfriend Kayla Costello. “The big city,” he says with a chuckle. While Costello attended Humboldt State University on a volleyball scholarship, he’d been laying floors. But after the accident, the shine had gone off the laminate. It was time for a change.
Morton went looking for something entirely different and he certainly found it. Even though retail was not on his radar, he was hooked by a Craigslist help wanted post for a pet store. “I thought it would be fun,” he says. Lucky for him, it was not just any pet store. Ginger Casanova’s family had owned Fin-N-Feather (931 F St., Eureka, 707-443-4914) since 1973. There was no better place in Humboldt to learn the business — or start his family with Costello when they welcomed little Cullen, now 4 years old.
Damian worked his way up from stocking the aisles into management. “By the time I met Ginger, she was no longer full time. She had a lot of staff and relied on me more and more. I became weekend manager, then store manager.” Although he saw himself at Fin-N-Feather long term, Morton said he “tried to escape” a few times. “I got job offers but turned them down at last minute because I loved the pet store too much.” By the time he bought the shop in 2023, he says, “Ginger had become like a grandma to me. When we had Cullen, she was so supportive. That is what the deciding point was for me. The store was always a family-oriented business. Watching my son growing there, working with Kayla, and with Ginger helping me for several years. Family.”
Morton’s family grew in other ways after he joined Fin-N-Feather. “I’m a huge dog and cat person. I never had animals as a kid. I love them all the same. Over the years I accumulated more animals at my house. Eight or nine years ago, I would not believe it possible to love a snake or tarantula. Then you see how unique they are, and you fall in love with them in different ways.”
Fin-N-Feather goes the extra mile for our two-, four- and eight-legged friends. Staff happily fill hundreds of special orders per month. If Morton cannot help a customer, he will send them to other small pet stores in Arcata, Fortuna and McKinleyville, shops that also send him customers. Not only do they watch out for each other and the customer at the same time, this cooperation keeps customers happy and dollars in Humboldt. “Just today, a customer came in. A different store sent him to us. He was amazed how much information we all have and that we are willing to refer to other pet stores. We have a great relationship with each other. We all look out for each other.”
Of course, it’s easy to give great customer service when you and your staff love what you do. “Most times what separates us from the big boxes is knowledge combined with customer service,” Morton says. He mentions that his employees have been with Fin-N-Feather for years, and that experience shows. “New customers are amazed how much employees know and care about animals. We thoroughly enjoy what we do.”
It’s not just human customers that Morton aims to please. Looking for the right flavor to satisfy that finicky kitty? Or yummy bites to please your bearded dragon? Maybe you need some crunchy live crickets for the kids’ gecko (apologies to the squeamish). Fin-N-Feather fills up those bellies. Once it’s been fed, a new addition to Hamster Tube Town might be just the thing to entertain your puffball friend. Perhaps that pup heard you mention treats? “We are always looking for new local products,” he says. “We have new jerkies from a guy in Willow Creek. Working with small local shops was “a new change for us.” Morton points out that small pet stores are often able to beat prices. Dollars spent in small shops tend to stay local and spread further. “It’s all about outreach and supporting smaller businesses doing amazing things around here.”
The compassion that led Morton to the pet store is now employed in the best way. “We bring in cats from the Sequoia Humane Society when they have overflow. We’ve adopted out cats we found. We take them to Sequoia Humane Society then bring them into the store. It’s a win-win,” he says. “We bring them in off the street and have them adopted through our shop.” Fin-N-Feather’s community support of events like the Humboldt Bay Marathon and the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run helps to keep dogs’ running companions healthier. After a friend told him, “One day you have to do the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run,” Morton was hooked. “It was such a tremendous experience. So it’s one I have to do every year if I can.” Naturally they sponsor dog and cat specific events, too. Fin-N-Feather is a monthly sponsor of Humboldt Paws Cause, an incredible service that works to reconnect lost animals with their worried humans.
Fin-N-Feather has been a community fixture for more than 60 years. Morton is trying to find out when the pet store first opened. “I have a calendar they printed every year that is from 1963.” (If you know more, let him know!) His love of his business includes its history, he says, noting the changes over time. “There was only one owner before the Casanova family. Three over time. That’s really cool!”
Morton still gets messages from Ginger: “Glad to see how you are taking care of it.” He’s thankful for Fin-N-Feather and how it changed his family’s lives. “It’s nice we can still survive and have a lot of fun doing it.”
When asked to finish the sentence, My Humboldt Life is, Damian thought for a moment. “My Humboldt life is pretty amazing. I feel like sometimes I get so wrapped up in the entire world and all that is going down. But it boils down to supporting the community, especially Henderson Center. I am grateful for it.” So are all the happy Humboldtians who found the right amount of arachnid arms (eight of them) to cuddle up with on rainy winter nights. Maybe it’s time to expand your menagerie with a reptilian companion. Or perhaps you would prefer a fuzzy feline in need of a lap? Morton and Fin-N-Feather can arrange introductions at your convenience.
Fin-N-Feather
2931 F St., Eureka
(707) 443-4914
fin-n-feather.com
finnfeatherpetshop
finnfeatherpetshop
This article appears in My Humboldt Life March 2026.
What a lovely story. Much needed positivity in trying times.
Congrats to Damian & his family.
I’ve been their customer for a few years now: before & after Damian bought the store. Got to tell you, Damian & crew have always given me great customer service. I had not idea he owned the place. His customer care has always been the same: excellent.
A shining light in the community. A great example of how a business thrives: with mutual support and admiration. We, and our non human loved ones are lucky!
I’m a big fan of local success stories and independent local businesses, but Fin’n’Feather’s prices are higher than other independent pet stores in the area, and I have a problem with any store selling live animals.