Minding the Store: The Story of Fishs Eddy

Our in-person Fishys Eddy tour has been so loved by the Insiders that we decided to let the owner, Julie Gaines tell her story and share her book, Minding the Store with our virtual members. Whether it’s a set of vintage plates from a 1920s steamship, a mug with a New Yorker cartoon on it, a tin of sprinkles designed by Amy Sedaris, or a juice glass from a Jazz Age hotel, Fishs Eddy products are distinctly recognizable. A New York institution, Fishs Eddy also remains a family business whose owners endured the same challenges as many family businesses—and lived to write about it in this tale filled with humorous characterizations of opinionated relatives, nosy neighbors, quirky employees, and above all the eccentric foibles of the founders themselves. Listen to Julie talk about it all and how she worked on the book with her son, artist, Ben Lenovitz to create a beautiful snapshot of her amazing career.