Traditional Value
Carly Pippin brings her background in art and museums to her new antique shop in La Arcada Plaza.
Written by T.M.
Photography by Sara Prince
Since her antique shop, PIPPIN, opened in Santa Barbara’s La Arcada Plaza in May, “reception has been fantastic,” says owner Carly Pippin. That had always been her dream. “Antiquing is my happy place.” With a background in art, Pippin worked in museums for 12 years, first at the Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler galleries in Washington, D.C., and later at The Getty Center in Brentwood. Drawing on that experience, she brings a mix of new and old art and antique home décor to the shop, much of it sourced during shopping trips to France. Soon she will add a collection of antique and vintage jewelry that she is very excited about. The past few months have been rewarding for Pippin, but one pinch-me moment stands above the rest: the time Martha Stewart visited and called her shop beautiful. Pippin was starstruck, to say the least. “Hearing that from someone I consider the goddess of home makes me feel like I can just wrap things up now,” she says, laughing. “I have nothing more to accomplish. Except, of course, I’m just getting started.” 1114 State St., Ste. 24, Santa Barbara, pippinhome.com
