Amy Rutherford

Old Town shoppers are particularly lucky Amy Rutherford has so many varied hobbies and passions. Rutherford is the owner of three separate shops located a hop, skip and a jump from each other on King Street, each with its own unique retail concept. There’s home furnishings and gift store Red Barn Mercantile, stationery store Penny Post, and children’s toy store Pippin Toy Co.

Rutherford’s King Street shopping empire began with Red Barn Mercantile, and as it grew, she added Penny Post next in 2017 and Pippin Toy Co. in 2024. Retail runs in her family: her grandmother worked as an antique dealer in Oklahoma back in a time when women didn’t run businesses, serving as a role model to Amy. “She was a pioneer for me. She demonstrated what was possible.”

The through line between all three stores is Rutherford’s impeccable taste. Her shops source products that are difficult to find anywhere else, and they come from all over the world, from Japan to Germany to California or right here in the D.C. area. The coveted notebooks, fountain pens, cheeky stickers, and dreamy stationery goodies at Penny Post invite creatives to explore the meditative world of paper-based analogue hobbies. Homebodies can find comfort while browsing the sustainably upholstered Cisco Home furniture and soothing French lavender sheet masks at Red Barn Mercantile. The cute Jellycat stuffies, Candylab wooden cars, and toys displayed all around Pippin Toy Co. ignite our childlike wonder and sense of play. Each shop has its own character and vibe. Visitors travelling along King Street can easily pop in and find something that meets their personal interests and hobbies. There is truly something for everyone.

Growing up in a military family, Amy lived all over the U.S., but her Air Force fighter pilot father’s tour in Alexandria made a huge impression on her. Amy has been in love with Alexandria ever since she and her husband moved here in 1998. Her love for the welcoming nature of Alexandria’s diverse neighborhoods fuels her to make everyone who walks into her door feel welcome and connected to our wider community.

She states, “Our home is their home. We share the same passions: letter writing and fountain pens, entertaining and connecting with friends and family, and growing and developing the children we love into caring, kind, and contributing people. And we are here to serve. Their needs and this community’s”. She relishes helping both DMV locals and out-of-town visitors shop for life’s special moments, whether that’s writing holiday cards, entertaining friends and family at home, or celebrating a child’s birthday.