Fishs Eddy is a

dinnerware Tableware items are the dishware and utensils used for setting a table, serving food, and dining. The term includes cutlery, glassware, serving dishes, serving utensils, and other items used for practical as well as decorative purposes. The q ...

, flatware and

glassware upTypical drinkware. This list of glassware includes drinking vessels (drinkware), tableware used to set a table for eating a meal and generally glass items such as vases, and glasses used in the catering industry. It does not include laboratory ...

retailer originally based in

Gramercy Park Gramercy ParkSometimes misspelled as Grammercy () is the name of both a small, fenced-in private park, and the surrounding neighborhood (which is also referred to as Gramercy), in Manhattan in New York City. The approximately park, located ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

that specializes in found dishes and serving pieces.

History

Fishs Eddy was founded in 1986, when founders and current owners Julie Gaines and David Lenovitz got lost in

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region of New York (state), New York that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area of downstate New York. Upstate includes the middle and upper Hudson Valley, ...

and stumbled upon a small town named Fishs Eddy. Gaines and Lenovitz discovered an old

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

during that trip that had stockpiled

restaurant A restaurant is an establishment that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and Delivery (commerce), food delivery services. Restaurants ...

dishware that had survived a fire. They offered to buy the whole lot, took it back to their apartment in

and used the inventory to open a store at 889 Broadway, near Union Square. They additionally opened a warehouse in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

. A

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

about the history of the story, by Gaines and illustrated by her and Lenovitz's son, called Minding the Store, was published in 2018. In 2021, Fishs Eddy started giving tours of its dinnerware collection, located on the second floor of the store, primarily featuring vintage "

namesake A namesake is a person, place, or thing bearing the name of another. Most commonly, it refers to an individual who is purposely named after another (e.g. John F. Kennedy Jr would be the namesake of John F. Kennedy). In common parlance, it may ...

plates." In 2022, artist Ben Lenovitz started making and selling potratit sketches of

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive/ cute appearances, inte ...

s and animals at Fishs Eddy.

Aesthetic

Fishs Eddy is known for offering archive and antique dinnerware, including plates and cups purchased from

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

and the Syracuse China Corporation. The company also produces some of its own dinnerware, with an aesthetic often called quirky. Its product line includes dinnerware with faces of American politicians and a

skyline A skyline is the wikt:outline, outline or shape viewed near the horizon. It can be created by a city's overall structure, or by human intervention in a rural area, rural setting, or in nature that is formed where the sky meets buildings or the ...

of New York City. As of September 2018, the store was considered a top retailer of wine

decanters A decanter is a vessel that is used to hold the decantation of a liquid (such as wine) which may contain sediment (wine), sediment. Decanters, which have a varied shape and design, have been traditionally made from glass or lead glass, crystal. ...

. The store has also released dinnerware and other items created in

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

with retailers and

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

, including

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and presenter. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. He re ...

Todd Oldham Todd Oldham (born Jacky Todd Oldham; 1961) is an American-born designer and president of L-7 Designs Inc and Todd Oldham Studios. His approach to fashion and style has become known to millions through his fashion lines, interior designs, books an ...

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...

and West Elm.

References

{{reflist, 2 Dinnerware designers Companies based in New York City American companies established in 1986 Retail companies established in 1986