GREENWICH VILLAGE — Aubrey Strobel is on the hunt for antique furniture, but not to decorate her apartment. Rather, her search is part of a journey into her family’s history.
Strobel, who lives in Greenwich Village, is the last Strobel in New York — a descendant of Philip Strobel, the German-born woodworker who founded Philip Strobel & Sons in New York City in 1852. His shop made furniture for hotels, restaurants, and bars and had a showroom on Elizabeth Street in Chinatown.
“My family made things that were meant to last. It’s so different than today,” said Strobel, founder of the communications company Halcyon. ”But these pieces have lasted hundreds of years, and that’s amazing. The craftsmanship and the care — we don’t have that anymore.”
While the tables and chairs that Philip Strobel & Sons crafted have lasted, the business did not. It fell on hard times during Prohibition (1920-1933), when many bars and restaurants that couldn’t sell alcoholic beverages saw a drop in business and were forced to close, which lowered demand for furniture. The Great Depression of the 1930’s exacerbated an already difficult situation, and Philip Strobel & Sons fell on tough times. The business eventually closed, although the exact year of its demise is unknown.
Aubrey Strobel grew up in Arizona, hearing her family talk about the furniture store “with such excitement.” And she noted, “There was so much lore.”
Strobel said she was shocked when her relatives confessed they didn’t own any Strobel-made furniture. So, when she moved to New York in 2016, she tried to gather as many pieces of Strobel furniture as she could to preserve her family’s legacy.
“I actually didn’t know if I was going to be able to find pieces, and that became sort of my mission when I moved to New York,” she said.
Strobel has since acquired several items, including a table that she paid a mere $50 for because it had scratches on its surface.
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Strobel, a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, said her Catholic faith shapes her search for the furniture.
“The Catholic Church is highly traditional … (and) this also adds that level of tradition that I experience and feel,” she said. “I think connection and being related to your family in the way of preserving their memory is just a beautiful way to honor your family.”
Strobel has conducted her searches for antique furniture through social media. Her posts on X and Instagram have borne fruit, connecting her with people who pointed her in the right direction.
Strobel said her goal is to revive Philip Strobel & Sons for the 21st-century consumer. For now, she continues to search for and acquire her family’s furniture.
The process gives her emotional satisfaction, she said.
“I’m touching the same pieces that my family approved and their designs,” she explained. “There’s a connection to the past. And I think I’m just a nostalgic person. And I like to bring things that are old and make them new again.”
— Katie Vasquez contributed to this story