Abigail Price
Founder of Abbode / Manhattan, NY
Abby is a true entrepreneur, curator and one of the biggest hearted people I've met through Normal. While doing her graduate degree at Parsons for fashion design, she found her love for interiors as she dived in working in flower market. She started curating affordable, vintage, colorful home decor pieces as Abigail Home until she took a leap for her first retail store Abbode in Nolita, Soho as a pop-up. It's not easy to manage a retail store but she does it so well by bringing together so many small businesses, vintage pieces and art together. She supports other artists, designers and become a space for everyone to find beautiful and colorful pieces. I'm very excited to share her journey of creating Abbode, finding her dream NYC apartment and now moving into her long term store very soon. Enjoy!
You can find her @shopabbode and @abigaileprice :)
Coincidence that both of us have background in fashion and now leaped into interior. I know that you studied fashion design as your graduate degree at Parsons, however now you have an amazing shop in middle of Nolita where you dived into interior curation and decor. I truly wonder the background of how this shift happened, can you share bit of your story please?
I was working in fashion/beauty events while I was in grad school, and learned all about the flower market. Once I stopped working for this company, I had a lot of free time and I had always wanted to make myself a dry floral arrangement, so I did that and thought it was adorable and started selling them. I started to develop a passion for home and I picked up on this vintage trend, and just combined the two. Eventually I had the idea to try opening up in person! I think that at my core I am creative, and was using fashion as a way of expressing this, and then realized that I'll always be able to be involved with fashion by controlling my dress and personal style, but this was an additional way to be creative, and I realized I'm pretty good at it. The fashion industry is pretty crazy, and can be very superficial and difficult to break into and I think I just sort of got sick of it and was ready for a change! Luckily I was able to write my thesis on the interiors of retail stores, and I do feel they overlap so much that even though I don't have formal training in interiors, everything I have done and learned thus far has prepared me for where I am today!
Now that you have been doing this work for a while, I also want to ask what is the items that really sell out fast and people should keep an eye for while coming to shop with you?
The most popular items are by far our cowboy boots. They go so quickly! Most only stay in the store for a few hours, maybe a couple days if that. I've developed this love for all things western and cowboy themed and it has really resonated with my customers as well. Our other popular items are the vintage matches. My favorite thing is for people to buy a cool dish and fill it with vintage mathcbooks, its the chicest (and pretty cost effective) way to spice up a surface!
How has taking curation as a business, sharing your work & living space changed the way you approach your home and purchases?
Since I see home decor items all day long, I've almost sort of become descentizied to them. Before the store I would want to keep so many things, but I've now realized I get so much joy out of the search and discovery that I would rather be consistently buying and selling. There are very few pieces that I keep for myself, and I get the most joy out of my customers purchasing my favorite finds. I definitely love having a cool apartment and feel like it's an extension of my brand, but since I have a roommate I have to balance that with what she likes so it's hard for me to share everything because it's not 100% my point of view and style.
Lastly, what's your dream for Abbode? What should we keep an eye for the future of your beautiful work :)
I am excited to share that we are planning on making Abbode a permanent NYC destination! While I never marketed the store as a pop up, it was a series of short term leases I kept renewing. We are going to be moving to another larger space in Nolita, and having so many more events, collaborations, pop ups, and more!
Can you give some information on your background or those who are getting to know you?
I was born outside of Boston and and went to Ohio State for undergrad before finishing my education at Parsons for grad school. I always knew I would live in NYC, so I wanted to try and have another experience for college. I've been creative and interested in fashion for as long as I can remember, and previously worked in PR and at Conde Nast. Growing up, I always was one of those people with some new idea or side hustle. My friends would make fun of me because every 6 months or so I would make some new Instagram account for whatever my latest idea was. Almost every single person in my family is/was an entrepreuner, so I wanted to do the same! My favorite things are styling, shopping, art, and traveling, so I feel really lucky to be able to combine these things into a career.
What are your biggest inspirations for your home, interior and decorating? Where did your interior journey start?
My biggest inspirations would be from past decades and people I follow on Instagram. I have an obsession with wishing I lived in the 50's-90's, so seeing interiors from then makes me wish I could instantly transport there. I follow a lot of incredible accounts who share their homes and it's so inspiring to see how other people transform a space and bring their ideas to life. I was always interested in living in a cool space, and moving into my first apartments in NYC is when this love of home design started for me.
I know that every curator has their secrets. No one should ask where you get your pieces, but I am wondering the process of your curation? How far do you travel, how you decide on your items?
Honestly when I just see an item, I know. I instantly am drawn to things and my sole vision is what you see in the store. When something catches my eye I usually end up loving it. I travel all over the place! Over the summer I did a sourcing trip to Austin, but wherever I am I make a point to visit antique malls. I'd love to be able to travel to other countries solely to source someday as well. Most recently I was in Portugal on vacation, and although we were there only for pleasure I still managed to find cool candles and so many other various goodies that I had to buy and check a second suitcase!
What makes Abbode different than the other decor shops? What's your mission and vision for it?
I would say what makes Abbode different, especially as a store in NYC, is that we have an item almost anyone can afford. We start at $22 for a lot of our candles and go up from there. Also, everything in the store is handpicked by me, so of course its going to have a different point of view then anywhere else! I've really learned to trust myself and lean into styles and pieces that stick out to me. For the future of Abbode I want to eventually come out with my own products influenced by vintage pieces I've seen, and grow into a household name when it comes to unique decor objects. My long term dream is to specialize in collaborations and drops, while continuing to have the store as a place to communicate with my customers and host events.
Even though you truly share the details of your business and shop, I haven't seen deep into your home - but from the photos I've seen here and there I'm in love and would love to dive more into your own space. What made you decide on your current home? How did you start decorating the place, like what was the first piece, did it happen organically, or did you have a mood board on mind?
My old lease was ending in september of 2020, so I was at a great spot to maximize covid deals. I had lived in a traditional doorman building for 2 years, and really wanted to take advantage of finding an amazing hidden gem I would never have been able to afford. I wanted something with tons of character, I was sick of these cookie cutter highrises, and really searched and searched until I found something super unique. There is nothing like a converted loft building, and I just kept searching until I found something that I was in love with. Before I moved and found this apartment, I started collecting pieces from FB marketplace and Craigslist that I really loved such as my Wassily chairs and some other fun pieces. I had my heart set on a square travertine coffee table, and after I found that the rest just fell into place. I don't like to rush decorating, and took the first few months after move in to find thoughtful items that I would have for years.
How do you define your interior style? Also, do you have a dream piece or furniture you have on mind?
I really struggle with trying to define my style, because I think I pull pieces from many different vibes. I also love my home to be a reflection of my surroundings, and know that if I had a beach house vs a mountain house they would look so different because I love leaning into what is around me. My clothing style is the same way, when I travel or am put into new environements I love to reflect where I am through my clothes. I think the best way to describe it is eclectic, and I'm really digging all of the fun mid century furniture that's been so popular. I love color and interesting pieces, and expressing my personality through decor. I may not know what to call my style, but I know that I'll never ever be an all neutral minimalist. I love stuff too much!
And the information we all wonder…
Grey cloud couch dupe: FB marketplace
Italian travertine coffee table: FB marketplace
Wassily chairs: Craigslist
Legs print: Photographer who lives in my apartment who was throwing it away :)
Mirrored pedestal: Thrifted
Burl dining table: CB2
Rainbow Art: Claire Buckley
My go to place to find cool items is anywhere outside of NYC. You'd be shocked by how many antique malls there are around the country, so just search on Google Maps, and enjoy the hunt. For every 50 random old pieces you'll see there might only be 1 gem, but I promise when you find it it will be worth it!
