Our Story
The Pippin Vintage Jewelry you see today is the outcome of more than 20 years of evolution for this family-owned and operated “Mom and Pop” shop. Owners Rachel and Stephen Cooper have built this business on a shared passion for all things beautiful, and a shared vision for a small-scale, sustainable, and down-to-earth retail experience.
It could be said that Pippin began on Steve and Rachels first date. Neither would know the foreshadowing of their choice to attend an antiques auction. At the time, Rachel was an elementary school teacher with a lifelong love for antiques, and Steve was a vendor at NYC’s famed and bygone Chelsea flea market. As the synergy of their relationship took form, the flea market booth was refined, and it’s potential increased. As two Taurus natives, their shared love for beautiful things, and their shared impulse for forward momentum would bring them to seek their first brick and mortar location.
On Orchard Street, below Delancey, Pippin Vintage Jewelry opened its doors in October of 2004. Being the heyday of the “Fashionista”, it was an immediate favorite on the burgeoning Lower East Side. Three years later, the shop would move to 112 West 17th Street, where neighboring Pippin Home would be created and enjoyed for the next 15 years. (For those of you who never got to see Pippin Home – it was magical. Housed in an antique blacksmiths shop, down an alley, set in the center of the city block, people time-and-again noted that it was like traveling to a place entirely apart from its busy city surroundings. It was much loved and is much missed!). Pippin’s online shop launched in 2013, and today’s location at 104 West 17th Street opened in the winter of 2021.
Over the years Pippin has evolved with the help of many deeply talented and dedicated employees; it is a culmination of much human creativity put to work. It is with reverence that Rachel and Steve look back on what their passion project has become, and all the stories that have fed into that becoming. Today, their dedication to providing the quality and integrity they have become known for is unwavering. With service as “old-fashioned” as their merchandise, they welcome you to come have a visit. All are welcome
Why “Pippin”?
People ask us all the time why we named our store Pippin.
Back in those flea market days, a couple of years after Steve and Rachel met, they adopted a Cavalier King Charles puppy. Rachel, a lifelong J.R.R. Tolkien fan, wanted to name him Pippin, for the character from The Hobbit. They loved their pup dearly, and when it came time to name their store, what better than that of their four-legged-muse.
Thus, the store is named after a dog, who is named after a Hobbit.
…and now you know.
Meet The Coopers
Rachel
Rachel is the organizational and administrative powerhouse behind Pippin’s success, as well as its creative director. She has enjoyed a lifelong passion for beautiful and old things and considers Pippin to be an ever-evolving creative “project of a lifetime”. She is an avid gardener, and a lover of music, travel, and nature. She holds a master’s degree in childhood education and is a GIA Certified Diamond Grader.
Stephen
Stephen has a long personal history within the jewelry industry. Beginning in the 1970’s with his first import business, he would go on to work for both Brodney’s and Shreve, Crump, and Low in Boston, gaining knowledge of antique jewelry and learning the industry. He owned and operated Provincetown Jewelers, in Provincetown, MA for 7 years. Ever compelled to entrepreneurial ventures, he eventually delved into the NYC flea market scene of the 1990’s. Vending for more than 10 years, he gained a knowledge and respect for vintage costume jewelry through his customers and colleagues. Today, after 50+ years in the industry, Stephen still LOVES jewelry, and he still loves to get behind the counter; delighted to meet his customers face-to-face. He is a GIA Certified Diamond Grader.
