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Meet Abby Price (@abbyeprice), founder of Abbode, the NYC-born brand that started as a small, curated vintage shop in 2021 and has since evolved into a full-scale custom-embroidery business with a cult following. Abby’s eye for sourcing and styling quickly turned into something bigger: a brand built on personalization, momentum, and knowing when to pivot.
A few years (and a couple of smart moves) later, Abbode has grown into a multi-million-dollar business, collaborating with names like Levi’s, L.L.Bean, J.Crew, and Saks, without losing the scrappy, instinct-led energy it started with.
In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re talking to Abby about trusting your instincts, betting on yourself, and what it actually looks like to grow something from a one-room shop into a brand people can’t stop talking about.
I try to pay really close attention to what people respond to. When I first opened Abbode the store had a mix of vintage home goods, dry florals, and embroidery. Over time it became really clear what customers were most excited about. Embroidery kept growing and every time we leaned into it more the business responded.
For me evolving isn’t about abandoning the original idea. It’s more about following the momentum. When something starts resonating in a bigger way than you expected, that’s usually the signal to go deeper.
What changed is definitely the scale. In the beginning, everything was very scrappy. I was doing basically everything: testing ideas in the store and figuring things out in real time. Now we have a production studio, multiple machines, and a much bigger operation behind the scenes.
What hasn’t changed is the experimentation. A lot of what we do still starts with trying something, seeing how people respond, and building from there!
Buying the first embroidery machine was definitely the turning point. At the time, it felt like a huge investment, and I honestly did not totally know what I was doing yet.
Once I started experimenting with it and customers started bringing in ideas and personal things they wanted embroidered, it unlocked a whole new direction for the business that I had not originally planned.
Not having all the answers! When building something from scratch, especially in retail, you constantly learn as you go. Early on I had to get comfortable with the idea that the business would evolve publicly. People would see us try things, pivot, and grow. Eventually I started seeing that as part of the story and a reason why people loved following us.
A lot of it comes from everyday life. Travel, objects people keep forever, and little things that mark a moment in time. I am always drawn to items that feel personal and a little nostalgic but still modern. Right now I am especially inspired by things people hold onto like luggage tags, charms, and small keepsakes that remind you of somewhere you have been or something that happened.
I definitely overthink sometimes but I have learned that my first instinct is usually right. When you are building a brand you get a lot of opinions from a lot of places. I try to listen and absorb feedback, but the decisions that work best usually come from trusting the original vision.
When things are busy my routine actually gets simpler. I just want products that work and that I know my skin responds well to! I am all about moisturizer and looking glowy.
I think it is similar in the sense that I know what works for my skin. I am not constantly changing everything, but I do like having a few targeted products that address specific things.
I am actually a big believer in testing things before going all in. That is basically how Abbode has grown. We try something, see how people respond, and then expand from there. So the idea of being able to try smaller versions before committing to a full routine really resonates with me. It is the same mindset I have when building products or testing new ideas for the brand!