Pippi Mae’s Curated Home

Pretty much anything and everything you could ever want to buy is at your fingertips. 

Scroll. Click. Wait a couple days. Done.

So why shop local? Why drive downtown to shop? Why park down there just to get down here? 

There are the obvious reasons, of course. It supports the community, the small business owners. It helps keep things open and in town. It’s good for local tax revenue and whatnot. 

But honestly, it’s more romantic than that.

“There’s a feeling you get when you shop here,” said Melissia Crockett, owner of Pippi Mae’s Curated Home. “It’s nostalgic. I think people are craving that feeling again … the simple joy of window shopping, walking from place to place, and taking in the whole experience. It reminds us of how things used to feel, and it’s exciting to see our community getting back to that.”

And she’s right … there really is a feeling you get when you pop into Pippi Mae’s. The adorable, quaint little shop feels like a throwback. One of those vintage shops right out of a catalog.

“People say all the time that it feels cozy,” Crockett said. “It feels like home.”

Yeah, that’s it for sure. It feels like home. A very aesthetically pleasing home that always smells good and makes you want to just sit down and let your problems roll away. 

Oh, and you can also buy some really neat stuff. From bowls and bags to candles and comforters.

“I wanted it to be a place that offers things you can’t get just anywhere,” Crockett said. “That’s why I called it Pippi Mae’s Curated Home. I wanted the things here to be special and for them to feel special going into your home.”

Crockett’s professional background is in education, but her experience working downtown as a youngster sparked an ever-growing interest to own her own business.

“I used to work at Ramsey's downtown when I was in high school,” she said, “and that made me always want my own store in Downtown Pittsburg, Kansas. It was the coolest thing. We still had Little’s and Ramsey's and so many neat stores downtown. It was a cool time.

“I think deep down I knew that this was always what I wanted to do. I’m an artsy, creative person. I always have been. So having this shop is like a big creative outlet for me. I'm the kind of person that needs something like this.”

It’s being in Pittsburg, she said, that made this dream possible for her. The size of town, the community support, the downtown charm … all of it just works.

“The thing I love about Pittsburg is that I live maybe a mile and a half—two miles—from here, and it still feels like a big small town,” she said. “I didn’t want my kids going to a huge school or dealing with traffic and all the hassles that come with it. And I feel the same way about running my shop: when I close up, I’m home in just a few minutes.

“We’ve got a downtown Christmas tree now, and people come out and gather around it. There’s a great space downtown where we host concerts, and folks show up and hang out. It’s big enough to have cool shops and fun places to go, but still small enough that when you show up to an event, you know most of the people there.”

Crockett said she also loves that her shop is part of the Block22 community at 4th and Broadway.

“I think this Block22 section has felt like family to me from the very beginning. My neighbors have made me feel so welcome, always saying, ‘Hey, if you ever need anything, just let us know—we’re here for each other.’

“It really feels like you’re not doing this alone. And when you’re a new business, you do have a lot of questions. It’s such a comfort to be able to run things by someone who’s going through the same experiences. You’re part of a community that shows up for each other, and you’re not just out there on your own.”

And with her downtown location comes a front row seat to the ongoing progress and energy in Pittsburg.

“I think we’re moving back toward shopping small again,” she said. “We’re heading toward a lively downtown where people connect with each other, and where businesses are owned by families and individuals. That’s why it’s so important to support local businesses and to be part of bringing a thriving downtown back to life.”