Get To Know Them: Abby Price of Abbode NYC

GEM is dedicated to revolutionizing how people think about wellness and self-health, and that means meeting you where you’re at. In our new interview series, Get To Know Them, we chronicle the lives and wellness routines—no matter how robust or lackluster—of real people with bustling careers, busy family lives, and an ever-growing to-do list. You can probably relate.

Credit: Sophie Sahara

Abigail Price is the entrepreneur, curator, and creative behind Abbode, a pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar store based in New York City’s Nolita neighborhood. She turned what was originally a dried floral arrangement side hustle into a vintage homewares business that would eventually become Abbode, the go-to place for quirky small-format home decor pieces that you’re likely to see all over Instagram in the near future. As if running a store in NYC isn’t enough, Price is currently pursuing a Master of Arts from the Parsons School of Design.

Tell us a bit about yourself, as well as your path to getting here:

I’m from outside of Boston, and have been living in the city since about a month after I graduated from college. I held a variety of jobs in fashion and PR, ranging from inside sales to editorial, and decided to go to Parsons to pursue my masters degree in Fashion Studies. While in school, I had the free time to start experimenting with dry floral, which developed into me finding vintage vases, which turned into me just generally sourcing vintage and opening a store when I graduated from my program.

How has the industry, as well as the work you do within it, changed over the last couple of years?

When I first started dry floral and sourcing, there weren’t that many people doing it yet. Everyone was always saying “I’ve been looking for just this!” As it was the beginning of the trend.  Now, many florists sell dry arrangements and many Instagram sellers have just stopped posting completely post-COVID, and it’s really hard to find hidden gems because things get so picked over. Luckily, I’m good at treasure hunting and trend-forecasting, so I’m always trying to shift us into what's next.

What sort of routines do you implement to keep yourself engaged?

I usually give myself time in the morning to chill. The store doesn’t open until 11, so I try to not rush my mornings and start working around 10 because I’m usually working until at least 7 or 8 if I don’t have evening plans. Catching up on TikTok (which is my favorite guilty pleasure) going to the gym, or making a nice breakfast.

Are you a morning person or a night person? How does this manifest?

If I can get myself up I am definitely a morning person. My days are so long and I’m interacting with people all day so when it hits 10 or 11 pm I’m always exhausted.

How do you make time for yourself every day?

This is definitely something I’m trying to improve on. I just started living alone, so I'm starting to make more time for myself by shopping super clean and cooking much more often.

Think of someone important in your life. What would they say is your greatest strength?

I think they would say my greatest strength is my creativity. From brainstorming new ideas to curating Abbode, my creative ideas have given me my business and helped me collaborate with countless brands and people.

What's a new habit that you've committed to in 2022?

I’m trying to really increase my exercise and physical activity. Before COVID I would work out consistently every week, and that has really fallen to the wayside in the last few years since I started Abbode. I joined a new gym that I really like, and I’m trying to commit to doing that at least four days a week.

You can find more by following Abby at @shopabbode or @abbyeprice.