Correction: A previous version of this story inaccurately stated that the pop-up experience would be at C.O. Bigelow; this post has been updated throughout.When Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy first stepped inside C.O. Bigelow’s doors in the ’90s, the beloved New York City pharmacy’s owners could never have guessed the impact she would have on its trajectory. Word got out that she purchased her signature tortoiseshell headbands — immortalized via paparazzi photos — from its accessory counter, and C.O. Bigelow has been associated with the late style icon ever since.Decades later, shoppers still flock to the 188-year-old store in search of those headbands, which the store continues to sell. Business really ramped up following the 2026 release of the hit series “Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette,” which brought renewed interest in CBK’s style.”The response was immediate and honestly unlike anything we’ve seen in recent years,” C.O. Bigelow Director of Marketing Sarah Barnes tells Fashionista. “Headbands became a flashpoint. We were restocking constantly, and the store itself started to feel like a scene again.”
Abbode x C.O. BigelowPhoto: Courtesy of Abbode
America’s oldest apothecary is keeping the momentum going, starting with a new brand partnership with Abbode, a vintage-inspired embroidery brand known for its customizable pouches. Starting May 2, Abbode is transforming its Nolita storefront into a month-long “Abbode Rx” pop-up where customers can shop the new Abbode pouch colorways as well as branded items like nail files, soap, pill cases, combs and Band-Aids. The pouches will also be available to shop at C.O. Bigelow’s Greenwich Village store. “We loved the idea of pairing C.O. Bigelow’s heritage with Abbode’s more personal, giftable, fashion-meets-function point of view,” says Abbode Founder and CEO Abby Price. “I originally just thought of the Abbode Apothecary on its own, but realized how impactful adding a partner would be, and C.O. Bigelow was the obvious choice.”
Abbode x C.O. BigelowPhoto: Courtesy of Abbode
The collaboration’s concept centers on romanticizing everyday beauty rituals, especially for the on-the-go New Yorker. “Creatively, we kept coming back to the feeling of getting ready in New York; beauty products on a vanity, a pouch in your bag, running errands, all of those little rituals that feel intimate but still aspirational,” Price says. It’s a fitting concept, given C.O. Bigelow’s foundation as a place for product discovery and curation. But when a business has been around for more than a century, one naturally questions how it can adapt to the new generation of shoppers without straying from its heritage. “It’s a balance of preservation and perspective,” Barnes says. “We keep the core intact: the formulas, the heritage, the in-store experience. But we layer in newness through brand partnerships, storytelling and thoughtful curation.”
Abbode x C.O. BigelowPhoto: Courtesy of Abbode
Partnering with Abbode specifically helps the legacy pharmacy reach a younger, digitally native audience. “We can meet a customer who may not have discovered us otherwise, without compromising who we are,” Barnes explains. “Once they’re here, the goal is the same as it’s always been: let them explore. Let them find something they didn’t know they needed. […] The intention is not to ‘modernize’ the brand. It’s to place it in the right conversations.”C.O. Bigelow prides itself on not chasing trends, which could be its key to continued longevity. The retailer accepts change and adapts ideas relevant to its core, but it’s never focused on reinvention. Its priority is to remain a shopping haven with quality service, product integrity and brand discovery. Perhaps that’s why CBK felt so comfortable frequenting the apothecary.”Carolyn Bessette Kennedy had a kind of quiet, ‘IYKYK’ New York presence,” Barnes says. “She came in like any other New Yorker. She shopped here because it was part of her routine, not because it was a ‘destination.’ We’ve never positioned ourselves around a single figure, but her association reinforces what we’ve always been: a place New Yorkers trust. It’s less about nostalgia and more about continuity. The same products, the same counters, the same feeling of discovery.”
Abbode x C.O. BigelowPhoto: Courtesy of Abbode
The pharmacy has been careful not to overplay its association with the late style icon and there are no direct references to CBK in the Abbode partnership, which had been in the works for a few months: “For us, the collaboration came from a genuine shared appreciation for the brand, its history and the world around it, rather than being built as a direct response to the show,” says Price.Though Abbode x C.O. Bigelow arrives at a moment of optimal cultural relevance, there’s something to be said for the fact that the latter retailer was already closing in on 200 years in business. “For nearly two centuries, the focus has been on product integrity, discovery and service,” Barnes notes. “That foundation doesn’t change. What evolves is how people engage with it. We’re not trying to reinvent the apothecary. We’re making sure it still feels essential.”Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.
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