Good Morning Sabah People, A new episode of “Mornings With...” is here! A quick refresher: we show up early at the homes, studios or shops of New York creatives and entrepreneurs, slip into Shearling Babas, watch how they start their day and let the conversation unfold.
This one’s special because it’s with my neighbor and good friend, Jill Platner. Jill’s a jeweler, sculptor, artist, and basically the unofficial mayor of Crosby & Bleecker (the NoHo street corner that Sabah House New York calls home). Her shop is at street level on Crosby, next door to Sabah, with her jewelry studio right upstairs, and she’s been making her work on this block for more than three decades.
Jill is, in perhaps its most intended use, the real deal — one of the true downtown originals. She’s from Boston and you can tell: no fluff, matter-of-fact, hilarious wit, while also being one of the warmest people you could ever know. I really admire her unwavering vision, her commitment to craft, and the depth and longevity of what she’s built. A true north star for what good business & stewardship looks like.
So on a brisk Monday morning, we met Jill across the block at Café Lyria for a cappuccino before stepping inside her sculpture studio, which is tucked into a 200-year-old carriage house next to her shop. There, we tagged along for her morning routine, tried her famous homemade green juice (as good as advertised!), and talked business, being truly local, and life on Crosby Street. And as it always goes with Jill, we laughed... a lot.
Enjoy our morning with Jill!
Sincerely,
The Sabah Dealer
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Jill moved to New York from Massachusetts in the late ’80s and fell in love with downtown. While studying at Parsons, she took a metalworking class and had what she describes as a lightning-bolt moment: she knew she’d found what she wanted to do. She began making jewelry inspired by her sculptures, and started selling pieces wherever she could — sometimes, in full embrace of that New York hustle, right off her own body. In the early ’90s, Jill found a studio on Crosby Street, and, shortly thereafter, she opened her first shop a block away. That set off what has been a 30+ year career on the block (as we call it) with, today, her shop and studio together under one roof at 165 Crosby Street. |
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More than three decades later, Jill’s work has traveled far beyond Crosby Street, but she remains deeply rooted in the neighborhood and an original identity. Her jewelry is still made by hand here in New York, and her pieces are guided by the natural forms and materials she’s always loved. She’s built a world that feels entirely her own, with an unwavering vision and a real sense of place. That’s what I love about Jill’s story. In a city that’s always changing, she’s stayed true to what she believes in while continuing to create, grow, and bring people into her world. Her pieces are made to be worn and loved for years —and, like the business she’s built, they have a lasting quality that is increasingly rare.
A few excerpts from our conversation to follow...
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What's the first thing you do in the morning? “The very first thing I do? Put on some music! WKCR radio has a birthday broadcast where they play an artist for 24 hours. They're just incredible... it’s music you’d never hear otherwise.” |
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What's your trick to starting a day off right? “I always feel better when I have a lot of greens in the morning. And one of the ways I do that is with my green juice. So, every week I go to the farmer's market and haul back all kinds of things... the juice is spinach, dandelion, kale, celery, lemon, ginger, turmeric, and apples.
I’ll trade a batch of my just-made Crosby St. green juice for freshly laid Lafayette St. eggs (raised on my friend’s rooftop). I’m kind of like a juice ‘dealer’ in the neighborhood.” |
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Do you find richness in investing deeply in one place? "I'm micro-local... I love to support farmers and small business by buying from them. I’ve been on this block forever and there's a lot of great things in this neighborhood and within a close radius. I'm a Cancer, you know? Born in July, I'm very, ‘Home is where the heart is.’" |
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And, as we end most conversations like these, we had to ask Jill... Where To Next? "I'd like to travel to Greece with Yanni & Theo [owners of Café Lyria, the buzzy coffee shop just across the street] and hang with their awesome family!" |
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