Midnight Lunch Studio

Neighborhood: Old City, Philadelphia
Good for: Contemporary art, apparel, decor and accessories

Hey everyone! I am thrilled to be “back” here at shopsprucelane.com typing up a blog post about a new boutique in Philadelphia called Midnight Lunch Studio. Midnight Lunch Studio is an artfully curated shop located in Old City, right next to beloved Menagerie Coffee for those who are local.

Midnight Lunch Studio caught my eye on Instagram due to its funky aesthetic featuring bright pops of color in the forms of wave incense holders, spiral shaped candlesticks and the contemporary art hanging on its walls. This new boutique evokes a sense of fun, excitement and creativity which is so needed after the bleak COVID winter we just endured. I had been thinking for quite some time about what I wanted to do with Spruce Lane over the winter and when I saw that Midnight Lunch and some other boutiques had opened over the holiday season, I decided it was time to start scheduling some visits and getting back to my blogging roots. After all, this is truly what I love - keeping up with community developments, photographing beautiful spaces, and above all, meeting the inspirational faces behind them. And that was exactly what happened when I met Abigail Greene of Midnight Lunch Studio. 

I stopped by on a sunny Sunday morning and Abigail was more than welcoming. She was tidying up for what was sure to be a busy day given that we finally hit spring temperatures. Abigail’s warm, creative demeanor was reflected throughout her charming space. The walls were dotted with striking pieces of art and the shelves adorned with modern sculptures, quirky candles and colorful accessories. I was impressed to learn that Abigail herself was an artist and her shop featured some of her own work - what a talent! She also told me about how as a new shop owner, she quickly integrated with the Philly community, working with local makers and even establishing a close connection to a former vintage shop owner who regularly handpicked unique jewelry pieces for her to sell. All in all, it was such a pleasant first outing after a long hiatus due to COVID and other personal priorities. I followed up with Abigail over email to learn more about her shop and personal story.

Please read on below for the full story of Midnight Lunch Studio!

Q: Hey Abigail! Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what brought you to Philly?
I grew up in Norton, Massachusetts, a small town about 45 minutes south of Boston. I traveled north a bit for college and attended St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. After graduating in 2018 I moved to Jackson, Wyoming for two years, which is where I was before I moved to Philly.

As far as what brought me to Philly, I tell people I kind of moved here “by accident”. I was supposed to go to grad school this year in NYC at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art to get a master’s degree in Art Business. My program was postponed from August to January. During that time my boyfriend (and absolute life partner) landed a job in Philly so I was spending most of my time here. I quickly fell in love with it and realized there is  a lot of opportunity for young creatives. I learned in November that my program was going to be primarily online, so there was really no reason for me to move to NYC. As I started to prepare for my online program, I had a quick change of heart and a drive to do something more tangible.

It’s funny, I had never even considered living in Philadelphia. Growing up in Massachusetts and then going to school in New York, I always thought I would live in Boston or New York City. But I am really happy that I ended up here. Philly is really affordable compared to other east coast cities and that’s a key reason why I was able to start Midnight Lunch Studio. It’s a big city with a “small town” community feel, which is extremely important when running a small business.

Q: What inspired you to open Midnight Lunch Studio?
Toward the end of college I decided that fine art would be my career path. I was drawn to the idea of fancy gallery openings, high-end art fairs and so on, which is funny because my resume revolved much more around retail and small business. Junior year of college, I landed an internship with the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Design Store assisting the buyers and the direct to consumer team. At the time, I honestly don’t think I fully understood what this position was. I was just excited to be at the MoMA. There, I discovered the art of buying and the idea that “curating” wasn’t limited to pieces of artwork could include products too. I learned that I really loved researching and connecting with designers, makers and brands. After that, I found myself in various retail positions but the bulk of my knowledge came from working at a boutique and fine art photography gallery on Cape Cod for 4+ years. In this position, I learned the ins and outs of running a small shop and the hustle of being a small business owner. 

These experiences, along with my passion for art and style, inspired me over time to create Midnight Lunch. I didn’t always know this is what I wanted to do, but in retrospect it all seems to add up. 

Q: Midnight Lunch Studio is such a unique name - is there any meaning behind it?
Before the days where you could “save” Instagram posts, I had an IG account that served as an inspiration board. I would repost artwork, poems, photos, and fashion inspo so that I could go back and look at them later. I named it @midnightsnack because I would stay up until the early hours of the morning doing this as a classic restless college student. When I decided to open up my own shop, I was chatting with my mom over a glass (or 4) of wine. In this conversation, she incorrectly said “I love it. Midnight Lunch. It has such a ring to it”. To which I responded “It’s Midnight Snack, but I actually like that better”.

Q: What was opening during the pandemic like?
It was exciting, scary and exhausting but so worth it. I opened during the Christmas season, so it felt magical and was so cool to experience how happy people in Old City were to see a new business open during a time when there unfortunately were so many closures. I signed the lease the first week of November and planned to open on December 1st. My boyfriend and I spent a lot of late nights building out the space and our living room was filled with boxes and boxes of inventory. We celebrated Thanksgiving dinner on the floor among the saw dust. 

I say it was the best time and the worst time to open a business. Most businesses start when the economy is good. I feel as though this is likely the worst that sales will ever be and that I can only be more successful from here. I also think people are becoming hyper-aware of shopping small and supporting local businesses. It’s great to see how much it matters to people and gives me so much hope for the future of my business and other shops like mine.

Q: How are things going now?
Things are great! The shop is constantly growing, evolving and changing and I continue to learn along the way. As expected, business slowed down after the holidays but I’ve done some creative things to maintain traction, like offering a special Valentine’s Day gift box and expanding our selection of art prints instead of just original pieces that people may not be willing to splurge on at the moment.

Q: What are you looking forward to over the spring and summer? Shop and/or personal related answers are welcome!
I really want to have weekly outdoor pop-ups with local makers, designers and artists this summer where they can set up a table in front of the store. Stay tuned for more info on this! Personally, I am excited to explore Philly more and discover other small businesses. I don’t have any employees so I pretty much work 7 days a week. I anticipate hiring a small team this summer so I have time to explore and be inspired.

Q: What’s your favorite piece(s) available at the shop right now?
This is such a hard question because I am literally obsessed with everything here. “Trilogy” by Allegra Yvonne Gia is probably the piece that struck me the most when she dropped it off. I literally felt like a kid on Christmas when she unwrapped it at the shop and it is taking everything in me to not buy it myself.

Q: What are you enjoying most about being part of the small business community in Philly?
Everyone is super nice and people are genuinely excited about small businesses here. They are always sharing each other's social media posts. Not only do other businesses do this, but the customers do it too. I love the fact that I’ve only been open for about four months and I already have ‘regulars’ who come in once a week. I’ve made a lot of new friends through Midnight Lunch and it makes me really happy! Also, the Old City District team is so awesome about sharing my social posts and keeping me in the loop on marketing opportunities. They’re the best.

Q: Anything else you want people to know?
We are always looking for new artists, designers and makers. The best way to get in contact is via Instagram or better yet, just walking in the shop <3.

Well, there ya have it! Another incredible feature that I hope you feel inspired by. I loved hearing Abigail’s stories about how she came up with the name of her shop with her mom over a few glasses of wine, and how she had Thanksgiving on the floor surrounded with saw dust. Achieving dreams like these requires such an admirable amount of courage and hard work that she has clearly exhibited in moving to Philadelphia and getting Midnight Lunch up and running under some challenging circumstances. I can’t wait to see what she has in store with her pop-ups and will definitely be back to shop soon (and grab a coffee next door). I hope you consider paying her a visit too!

Thank you again to Abigail for partnering with me on my first post back from hiatus, and special thanks to you for reading.

-Laura