Fishs Eddy
Dish-topia.
889 Broadway.
If you can eat or drink from it, this sassy little shop most likely has it.
There is something iconic about Fishs Eddy, this beloved store, named after a charming town upstate and tucked into the corner of 19th and Broadway. While at first glance, it may seem like housewares thrift on steroids, the truth is Fishs Eddy is a well-curated mix of vintage flea market finds, dead stock restaurant dinnerware, collectibles, and new items all displayed in a fun, cheeky, and often irreverent way.
Founder and owner Julie Gaines likes to point out that when you walk into the space with its colorful and precariously stacked dishes, glasses and mugs, you are walking into history. And in fact, there is a small secret museum — currently in the process of being moved from the second floor to the first floor — that houses an archive reflective of the store’s 40 years in business. (Limited tours of the museum are announced on the Fishs Eddy Instagram feed.) Opened in 1985, the shop has captured the hearts of New Yorkers looking to fill their small kitchen cabinets with an eclectic mix of plates, bowls, and glasses, and tourists hoping to take home a bit of NY lore. “We are not a tourist store, which is why tourists like us,” said Gaines, noting that Fishs Eddy is known for making and selling high-quality designs.
This may not be the shop for a 5-piece place setting of Bernardaud china, but it is absolutely the place to go for vintage coffee cups or the stoneware plates that are identical to the ones your grandmother had in her kitchen in 1973. Some items carry a more current theme; glassware with illustrations of public figures like Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, table linens sporting clever phrases, and unique New York- centric gift items fill shelves, curio cabinets, crates, and tabletops or are stacked on the floor in a maze-like, watch-your-step pattern.
Over the years, there have been plates boasting the original Tavern on the Green logo and tiny espresso cups bordered in steer heads, tote bags sporting dogs and cats and the New York skyline, tall tumblers featuring scantily clad pole-dancers, teeny-tiny plates printed with the words “portion control,” and even a large canister filled with “little useless spoons” for $1. Soda shop ice cream parfait cups? Yes. A wall of Pigeons of New York framed prints? Yes. Vintage made in America glove molds? Yes, again. The truth is, you never know what you’re going to find in this house of treasures.
“I love merchandising and it may sound corny, but I love the people I work with and our customers. I have never ever said on a Friday, ‘thank god it’s Friday,’” said Gaines. “I feel like the luckiest person on the planet, despite the fact that I’ve had a bit of bad luck. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with MS which was a game changer for me — so I’ve definitely taken some punches. But I still wouldn’t change a thing.”
Gaines’s videos on the Fishs Eddy Instagram feed are charming and sometimes even downright funny. There is a recent clip of her sneak-eating from a box of Thin Mints and feigning deniability as viewers are encouraged to visit the store before the cookies run out. In another, Gaines strolls through the store on her walker to the sound of plates crashing and breaking in her wake as she “widens” the aisles for holiday shoppers. The caption implores all strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, and persons with a wide gait to come visit. And in a video first released during Covid and reposted last month, she led staffers in “yoga” classes where she instructed them to lift stacks of plates while maintaining social distancing; a request that pushed everyone but Gaines out of camera range. That resilience and humor is worth noting. “We’ve survived a lot. From 9/11 to 2008 to Sandy to Covid,” she said. “We’ve weathered so many storms. Covid was the one where we really almost had to shut the doors.”
Thankfully, Fishs Eddy, the neighborhood and the city rallied, which is a story onto itself. Gaines said she has always loved New York, but that rebound more than sealed the deal for her. “We belong here and we’re not going anywhere.” Which is good news for fans of this landmark destination. And, if you can’t make it in to shop, but are looking for a daily smile, follow along on Instagram at @fishseddynyc.
Photos courtesy of Jimi Sweet