A long time ago, on the small island known as Manhattan, there was a man who was attracted to shiny and bright, gold and silver threads. He grew up to own the most extraordinary inventory from all over the world, having never traveled outside the United States. Following is the story of my grandfather and how Tinsel Trading evolved.

After a brief job as a mechanic for the army during WWI, he went to work at The French Tinsel Company in Manhattan, the main product being metal threads in an array of styles, colors and sizes also known as “Tinsel,” and made in France. It’s not surprising that he gravitated towards threads, after all his father was a tailor. Metal thread, however, was an unusual choice for an ambitious young man to start his career with. Years passed and Arch J. Bergoffen, my grandfather purchased the company in 1933,changed the name and thus began Tinsel Trading Company.

During WWII, his biggest client turned out to be the U.S. government. Unable to import metal threads themselves for uniforms, they relied on my grandfather, who had been warehousing thousands and thousands of spools for years. To this day there remains a large amount of this inventory in the basement, all on the manufacturer's original wooden spools, paper wrapped with gold labels. Many of them are still in the wooden crates they arrived in from France, never having been opened in over 70 years.

After the war it was necessary to expand and offer a wider variety of embellishments. Arch or Mr. B as he was known, would stay in metals but now it would include trims, tassels, fringes, cords, fabrics and wonders in between. As long as it was made of real metal threads, whether gold, silver or a rainbow of metallic colors, he would collect it and sell it.

When I was 11 years old, I started my career working at the brand new location of Tinsel Trading Co. Previously it had been wholesale only, in a 4th floor loft on on 36th St, but in 1969 he moved to a storefront, where he would now sell retail as well. The address was 47 West 38th St., where the business has been ever since. I would travel by subway with my older brother from Queens to Manhattan by subway, on Saturdays to help out. Throughout high school and college I worked at every opportunity I could, learning as much as possible about the business.

As I soon realized, it was a family rite of passage to work for TTC. My father worked for my grandfather, his new father- in- law, for several years. As a young adult and when the kids were in school, my mother worked for her father. In their teen years my 2 brothers went to work alongside Poppa. Fast forward to the present & my 2 nephews can also list Tinsel Trading Company on their resumes. Four generations of my family have all participated in the evolution of TTC.

As the years went by, my grandfather found out that not everyone was interested in metal trims. He needed more then just his collection of amazing 1920's metal threads, tassels, appliques, fringes and fabrics to accommodate his retail business. He began to accrue everything he could find, from soup to nuts, that was made before 1960. Somehow word got out, and he never had to travel further then the front door. Everyone who had old stuff lying around, much of it from outside the U.S., had heard about this crazy guy on 38th St. who would buy almost anything as long as it was old. Little did they know that their supposed junk was gold to my grandfather.

He bought ribbons, buttons, tassels, fringes, raffia ornaments and anything else that attracted him (even Brazilian beetles from the 1930's) in all colors and fibers. If it remotely fit into his idea of a creative decorative item, he wanted it.

Hundred's of boxes arrived, many unopened, month after month, year after year. One piece of each item would be put on a shelf to sell, but the rest went into the basement, piling one box on top of another, blocking aisles and passageways and mostly sitting unopened and unmarked for years and years. As some of you know, my grandfather was a pack rat and thank goodness he was.

Eventually the years of stockpiling turned into decades, and when my grandfather died in 1989, it became my job to try and make sense of thousands and thousands of items and organize it all. I was very overwhelmed by this and it took many, many years and several employees, to help find a way and develop a plan. I wanted to introduce to the world the wonders and magic of an amazing collection of vintage that spans over 70 years and the introduction of contemporary goods in the same genre.

In 1998 the beginning of a new and wonderful era for TTC began. Computers were introduced into the store (with me kicking & screaming), we started to exhibit at trade shows, Rosemary Warren freelanced for us doing window displays as well as merchandising, and Martha Stewart came calling.

Long a favorite of Martha's, we were frequently mentioned in her magazine since the inception in 1990. In 1998, we appeared on her morning show . Aired the first week of Dec., I was stunned by the immediate reaction the show had. The moment the segment ended, the phone started ringing and never stopped. Normally slow in the mornings, now people appeared at our doorstep as soon as we opened. To this day there are still customers asking if I was the one on her show.

One of the legacies my grandfather had left me was the retail space almost as cluttered and unorganized as the basement. The disorder and design of the store could not accommodate this many customers. It was obvious changes had to be made. So Rosemary and I redesigned it. We did a complete makeover, ripping out all the furniture, fixtures, lighting, and flooring and starting from scratch. We installed new floors, new lights and custom-made oak fixtures and furniture. We categorized, colorized and organized. It was no longer my grandfather's dysfunctional store. We were able to double the size of the space. It was stunning! Happily we have been able to keep it that way.

Never one to sit still, in 2002 Tinsel Trading expanded to twice the size. Knocking down a part of the shared wall, we made an entrance into the adjoining store, having gutted what use to be a wholesale clothing company, and dubbing it The Store Next Door .

Deciding to offer more then trims in our new store, we created small, individual departments for children , tabletop , garden ,stationery ,and books. We also offer a diverse gift selection, searching out handcrafted artistry collections. With our inventory selling quickly we re-create and reinvent each department from season to season.

In 2004, I opened a third store. Continuing the Tinsel tradition of awakening the imagination and offering inspiration, this time in a ribbon store. I found a great location right across the street. The name? The Store Across the Street - of course! Selling every kind of ribbon you can imagine, some designed and produced exclusively for us, the store is stocked floor to ceiling. We have rayon grosgrain ,soft satin silk , hundreds of different wired ribbon, luscious 5 wired taffeta , intricately designed jacquards and of course lots and lots of vintage. Perfectly timed, right after we opened, I bought a warehouse full of 1940's and 50's rayon/cotton petersham grosgrain in all sizes and in the most exquisite colors. I seem to be continuing the tradition of my grandfather. The real challenge will be to keep the aisles clean.

I know I speak for everyone here at Tinsel Trading when I say we are honored and grateful to be able to work with the most fabulous, exquisite trims. We all feel a sense of history and enormous respect for the items we sell. I have a wonderful staff and I hope one day you are able to meet them and allow them to share our world with you. Perhaps you might even become as drawn to these beautiful trims as we are.


Thank you
Marcia Ceppos
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P.S. Stay tuned , I know there is more to come! In fact I seem to have another idea forming.....