Philip Livingston: The Jewel of Baltimore Avenue
When Philip Livingston told me that his dad had worked for Allegany Pepsi-Cola, my first question was, “Did you get to meet Joan Crawford?”
“Yes I did. She came to our home for a cocktail party and gave me a good night kiss.” Wow. Very few can say that they were kissed by Joan Crawford when they were young.
Philip spent his first ten years in Baltimore; his family moved to Norfolk, VA when he was twelve. He describes his childhood as solidly middle-class and uneventful, except for the kiss from Crawford. Without prompting, Phillip describes his elementary, middle, and high schools with relish. Education was very important to his family and to Philip. He was a good and eager student.
His love of learning paid off with a full academic scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. Asked why he chose Penn, he describes the school’s excellent Art History program. And, of course, because the University is in Philadelphia. Philip reports that living in a big city and taking Art History were the answers to his most sincere wishes. His goals were to become a Museum Curator or an Architect.
Upon graduation, faced with obtaining more education and still uncertain about his career goals, he took a job as a gofer for a store on Jeweler’s Row. This area of Philadelphia was originally known as Carstairs Row. It had been developed in the early 1800s as one of the nation’s first housing developments featuring the first row homes built in America. By the late 1800s, the houses had been renovated and had become the headquarters for jewelry and diamond merchants. This is still true. Philip couldn’t have found a better forum for art and architecture. He describes his gofer job as doing anything from cleaning floors to carrying diamonds to other merchants. For ten years he did whatever was requested of him. He is quick to say that he is not a gemologist or a bench jeweler but agrees that he knows the business very well.
In 1995, he moved to Rehoboth Beach. Why? He was best friends with Tracy Rossetto who had recently opened Critter Beach. Okay. Why did you come? Philip laughs and says, “I wanted to live at the beach. I wanted a business at the beach.” From that time forward, Philip, making his signature minimalist statement, has tootled around town on his Vespa, greeting his friends.
Philip opened Elegant Slumming in the same Baltimore Avenue complex as it can be found today. He rented a third floor walk-up apartment on the ocean block of Hickman Street next door to Peter Antolini with whom he lived for the next twenty years. The shop moved across the courtyard and Philip and Peter moved to Kings Creek. One of the things that drew them together was their shared love for art as a venue for social communication. Soon they moved back in town to Columbia Avenue to a home site called The Compound by neighbors. Philip recalls many dinner parties, salons, and entertaining and says that this home holds cherished memories for him.
When asked why he is held in such high regard in the community, he guesses that it’s because he gives people the “straight scoop.” His knowledge and experience and ready access to national experts in Philadelphia make Elegant Slumming one of the most highly regarded and enduring businesses in Rehoboth Beach. But there is more to it. Philip is an integral member of our community. He buys his clothes, has his hair cut, and has massages on Baltimore Avenue. He is a participating contributor to the Rehoboth Art League, the Special Olympics Plunge, Beebe Hospital, Children’s Beach House, CAMP Rehoboth’s Sundance, and many more. He once contributed a $20,000 diamond to the Beebe Hospital auction. “Why?” I ask. “Because I live here. This is my home,” Philip didn’t just relocate to Rehoboth Beach; he incorporated it into his life. When Philip talks about our community, he describes a fusion of creative and imaginative elements which produces the message of Rehoboth Beach.
When asked what inspires him, he says, without hesitation, “Art and Architecture.” Philip sees the flawless blend of design, functionality, and timelessness of buildings, paintings, jewelry, furniture, and all other art creations. When a client chooses a piece of jewelry, Philip can easily identify the customer’s coherent attraction to the design and its place in their overall aesthetic life. He is indeed a Renaissance man.
When asked what he would like his legacy to be, Philip unhesitantly imparts, “I want people to remember me for bringing a jewelry business to Rehoboth Beach which consistently provides an unparalleled level of quality, integrity, and service.” Digging a little deeper, he wants people to remember him as, “a good friend, a good citizen, and a good dinner guest.” I’m sure that this legacy is already in place.