Starting a retail business in New York City sounds financially insane, but Abby Price found a way to make it work. She launched Abbode, her home decor shop, with $20,000 in 2021 and built it into a $1.6 million business three years later. The timing, it turns out, was everything.
Price cut her teeth in the industry with a side hustle selling $40 dried floral arrangements that she hand-delivered throughout NYC. That gave her the industry experience and confidence to think bigger. She shared her story with CNBC, walking through the key decisions that helped her scale successfully in one of America's most expensive cities.
Making Every Order Feel Special
Price figured out early that personalization was her competitive advantage. In an industry flooded with copycats chasing the same trends, she focused on making each order feel unique and meaningful to the customer.
"There's just so much sameness, so many trend cycles," she told CNBC. "No one's unique anymore because of the accessibility of everything. Everything is at our fingertips. I think what we're doing is so personal that it can always stand the test of time."
Her custom embroidery business transforms purchases into experiences rather than transactions. Most sales happen during Q4 when holiday shopping kicks into high gear and people want gifts that feel thoughtful and personal.
Pandemic Economics Created an Opening
Here's the paradox: Price only managed to start her New York business because of the pandemic. Empty storefronts left landlords desperate for tenants, and rent prices dropped to levels that actually made sense for a bootstrapped startup.
She started with a six-month lease on Mott Street in May 2021. The initial capital came from $10,000 in personal savings plus another $10,000 from family and friends, enough to cover the security deposit and first few months of rent.
"The only reason I was able to do it was because of COVID," Price told NY City Lens in 2022.
Growing Fast Without Breaking
The business took off immediately. Abbode averaged $30,000 in monthly sales over those first six months, which gave Price the confidence to expand. She took out $60,000 in loans to move into a bigger space nearby, relocating to Elizabeth Street in November 2021. The shop has stayed there ever since.
Sales continued climbing through late 2021 and early 2022, but then reality hit. Monthly revenue dropped from $65,000 to $45,000 as the post-pandemic retail surge cooled off. Price needed something new.
The breakthrough came in March 2023 when she hosted an embroidery pop-up event at Abbode. That decision changed everything.
"Everything changed when I bought an embroidery machine on a whim," she told LepelClub in 2024. "After trying it out during a slow period, embroidery took off, and a pop-up helped it gain traction."
Abbode finished 2023 with $719,000 in sales, and more than half came from embroidery orders. By 2024, the business had essentially pivoted to embroidery-first. Demand got so strong that Price rented additional studio space for $5,000 per month just to keep up with orders.
Strategic partnerships with major brands accelerated growth even further. A two-day collaboration with L.L. Bean in 2024 generated $100,000 in revenue by itself. Abbode closed out 2024 with $1.6 million in total revenue, and Price is now targeting $4 million in sales for this year.
The lesson here isn't just about embroidery or home decor. It's about finding the right moment, identifying what makes you different, and being willing to pivot when you stumble onto something that works better than your original plan.
