Albert Einstein famously said that “the person with dreams is more powerful than the one with all the facts.” Clearly, Einstein never encountered Kristin Masini and her daughter Robin Tooker, who in 2022 combined their factual knowledge to make a dream come true on the Granby/Simsbury town line.
“One day Robin and I were at lunch, and I wrote ‘Milk and Honey’ on a napkin,” says Masini. Tooker adds, “I always wanted to have my own fashion line and run a business with my mom. We wanted our project, whatever it would be, to be called ‘Milk and Honey’ because it represents the balance between strength and sweetness, masculinity and femininity.”
A graduate of Farmington High School, Masini grew up in her family’s balloon decorating and event planning business. “I married at 19 and divorced at 23,” she says. “As a single mom, I supplemented my income from the family business working for Barter Business Unlimited (BBU).”
But business experience wasn’t the only skill that Masini inherited. “I grew up with horses,” she says. “My mom rode hunters and jumpers. I was in her womb on a horse, so of course, I learned to ride. I trained with Hugh Kerrigan, former owner of Farmington Polo Grounds. I was about eight when I started competing in jumping competitions.”
When Masini left BBU, she opened Royal Reflections, selling her personally designed line of trumeau mirrors “I saw people at tracks spending money on photos, so I partnered with the track photographers,” Masini says. “I brought samples to the tracks, and people custom ordered my mirrors. At tracks, horses are like their owners’ children.”
Traveling to tracks from New York to Florida meant more time away from her daughter than Masini liked. “Robin often came with me, but when she started high school, I needed to get off the road and do that on the side,” she says.
Back home in Simsbury, Masini took a job with RJS Associates as a recruiter. “I have learned on my feet for each role in my life,” she says. “When one door closed, another door opened, but everything I have done had a common thread.”
As for Tooker, following graduation from Simsbury High School, she studied theater at Central Connecticut State University, later moving to Manhattan. “I wanted to be an actress and had a few theater gigs in design, but not in New York,” she says.
Then, shortly before the COVID lockdown, Tooker’s lease was ending and she realized that her design gigs were all in New England. “I moved temporarily back with my mom to decide what my next move would be,” she says. “During the lockdown, I worked for Anthropologie at West Farms Mall doing online sales. I wanted to get back into theater, but it didn’t return to normal until ‘21. That’s when we decided to open Milk and Honey. It’s my baby. Now that it’s in its third year, like a toddler, you cut the strings and bring it to preschool.”
Tooker plans to use the extra time to get back into theater design. She also waitresses and recruits scientists and doctors for pharmaceutical companies. Since mother and daughter both live in nearby Granby, someone is always available to run the shop.
“Robin and I are 50-50 partners, and whatever profit we make goes back into the business, so she needs income from elsewhere,” Masini says. “Our goal is to expand and for this to be our only job.”
Tooker and Masini’s vision, now a successful reality, includes selling eco-friendly, nicely tailored clothes along with fun, girly pieces. They sell men’s and women’s apparel, fine and costume jewelry, and home décor, some with an equestrian theme. “We want to be accessible and affordable,” Masini says.
“Fashion is aspirational,” Tooker adds. “Some people think looking good and fashionable is not affordable, but we try to make it so. And we believe in ethical trade. It’s important to us to sell eco-friendly merchandise. You can be fashionable and feel good doing it.”
When you stop by Milk and Honey at 1618 Hopmeadow St., in the Farley’s Pub plaza, look for the MH logo on handbags and backpacks. “I started sourcing leather manufacturers in Europe and found a company we liked in Ukraine,” Tooker says. In 2025-2026, look for additional MH designer pieces.
Masini and Tooker also believe in supporting local communities. “We do fundraisers for Healing Meals and support some of Granby and Simsbury sports teams,” Tooker notes. “We donated a raffle gift to the Drummer’s Puzzle Slam, and we plan events for people who don’t want to do it themselves. We’re in the people business. We like people to leave our shop feeling changed in some way.”
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