q+a: abigail price, abbode
Tchotchke Gallery: How do you know when you've come across an item that you must buy?
Abigail Price: Usually when I'm out sourcing I don’t have a specific plan or item that I'm looking for, I enjoy the hunt and when I see something I like I just know. The best analogy I can think of is love at first sight. I get a feeling of wow, this is so cool and I can't leave it behind. There are definitely trends and certain colors that I might not typically gravitate towards for myself, but I've seen them online or know that they could be someone else's style. I try to keep somewhat of a subjective eye in addition to letting my emotions take over to make sure I'm catering to the customer and not just myself. I would never put something in the store I don’t 100% stand behind, but there are definitely some pieces I love more than others!
TG: What is your favorite home decor item in your apartment?
AP: I think that this changes all of the time, but right now I it would be my vintage Delphite Jeannette cowboy hat ashtray. It's a powder blue milk glass ashtray in a cowboy hat shape. I found it at an antique mall in the Poconos last November and had no idea how rare they were. I got it because I had seen them online and knew they were hard to come by, so instead of selling it right away I held on to it. This was my first Western inspired piece, and without knowing it really kicked off this love of all things cowboy.
TG: What has been one of the most exciting moments in your career?
AP: The most exciting moment would for sure be the grand opening of the store. It felt like my Bat Mitzvah all over again with the amount of excitement and running around! I have always wanted to have my own business, I've been coming up with countless passion projects since high school, so to finally do this was a dream come true. It still feels fake and like I'm a teenager playing pretend, but as time goes on I can't wait to do more things and turn Abbode into a household name.
TG: What are you looking forward to now that you have a physical space?
AP: I am so excited to continue to do cool collaborations and meet new people. I'm not sure if it's just from returning to a somewhat post-covid world, but I sort of felt as if I had my friends and that was about it, whereas now I am meeting new amazing people all the time including my customers, the artists I carry, and the people I am doing collaborations with. (Looking at you two, Danielle and Marlee!) There is always space for other people to be successful alongside you, and I can't wait to do more awesome things with others.
TG: What is your white whale?
AP: I think my white whale would be my own apartment! As I continue to come into my own style, and see cool homes/decor items on a daily basis, all I want is to start fresh and curate a space 100% on my own. I was hoping to do this in September, but the real estate market is nuts and I knew It would just be better to push off this dream for another year until things calm down. While luckily this is an attainable goal, it still feels so out of reach and I can't wait for the day to come!