Now that the move is official, we are often asked about what we'll miss most when we leave New York. As excited as I am for our move, there is certainly a lot I will miss about this city! Last Sunday I had brunch in Chelsea with one of my oldest friends. After eating (snarfing) we wandered over to 17th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, one my favorite stretch of thrift shops. So, here we are, with my first installment of things I'll miss about New York.
An all-time favorite shop is
Pippin Vintage, which actually has two stores;
jewelry and
home goods. I stumbled on Pippin Vintage Jewelry when I embarked on the quest for the perfect engagement ring back in 2007 (with the help of my friend, who was with me on this lovely weekend afternoon!). Pippin had some great options, but ultimately I designed my own, based on a few vintage designs I loved. No matter, I've been a Pippin patron ever since!
As you can see, the store is chock full of treasures, and it's all displayed so beautifully – and it's not all jewelry; there are sumptuous fur coats and hats, as well as vintage buttons, scarves and gloves.
Right next door, the home store is a must every time I'm on 17th Street (and let me tell you, sometimes I go out of my way to get over to 17th so I just have to stop in).
That long hall of mirrors just beckons me! (I walked out with a mirror once...)
Beyond the hall, there is a little "front yard" with goodies:
And the main store is set in a charming wood frame house, a perfect setting for a little vintage shop.
I've come home with a handful of things, but always have to resist bringing back more. The shop owners are friendly and highly knowledgeable, making shopping there a pleasure. Every time I go in they've re-arranged a bit to make room for new wares. My first job in interior design taught me the importance of keeping a store fresh – and thereby moving lots of merchandise – was to constantly rotate and re-style. If you give a new home to something that's been sitting around for a while, unnoticed, it never fails that someone will suddenly see it and inquire about it. Successful merchandising at work: thank you Brian (my dear friend, former boss and showroom manager at
Palecek in San Francisco). Pippin definitely employs this tactic, and it works!
I was really tempted to buy the little George and Martha Washington silhouette in the back. I had to remind myself that we're moving and now is not the time to bring stuff home. Damn conscience.
My next stop is always
Angel Street Thrift Shop, a bustling store from which I've emerged with countless pieces of milk glass, a snazzy cut glass decanter, tumblers and two framed maps of olde world France and Spain. The shop isn't styled as well as Pippin, but that hasn't deterred me from finding tons of treasures.
The store was in the midst of a re-arragement session, so snapping a great photo was a little tough. But, you should go :)
Next up: the forever amazing
Housing Works, which has
ten locations (nine in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn). Housing Works does a pretty good job of merchandising in the stores, but their showstoppers are their windows, which contain items for auction. Current windows. left and right:
Images courtesy Housing Works
Just inside the shop:
Housing Works sells clothing and accessories in addition to house wares. The organization is very prominent in the home design fundraising world, which I've written about
before.
West Elm is on the block, and while it's technically a big box store, they are killing it this year with cute but not at all junky ornaments and holiday decor. Definitely worth a look. Also on this beloved block is
From the Source, the incredible showroom that displayed e
ight of Oliver's paintings for a few months (we just took them down to pack them up for the move).
Thus concludes my tour of 17th Street. If any of you have ever been to these stores, I'd love to know (and see) what you purchased!
