The creative and crafting world is mourning the loss of Marcia Ceppos (Jan. 26, 1958 – Oct. 22, 2025), the beloved owner and guiding spirit of Tinsel Trading Company, whose lifelong devotion to preserving antique ribbons, trims, and metallic threads turned a century-old family business into a living archive of artistry and imagination.
Marcia Ceppos Obituary News
Every now and then, someone dedicates their life to safeguarding what others might overlook — the fragile beauty of the handmade, the glimmer of craftsmanship from another era. Marcia Ceppos did exactly that. Through her work at Tinsel Trading, she kept a world of history, texture, and artistry alive, one ribbon at a time.
Founded in the 1930s by her father, Tinsel Trading Company became a New York treasure — a haven for artists, designers, and collectors seeking the rare and extraordinary. When Marcia inherited the business, she not only preserved its vast collection of European ribbons, sparkles, and trims but expanded its reach, sharing its magic with a new generation of creators.
Her father’s meticulous curation of metallic threads and vintage embellishments found new life in Marcia’s hands. She treated every spool, every length of lace, and every jeweled trim as a story — a connection to the hands that made it and to the dreams it inspired.
“Marcia was a keeper of memory,” a longtime collaborator said. “She didn’t just sell notions; she preserved history. Every piece she touched was infused with reverence and joy.”
In 2010, her world was beautifully captured in the book Treasured Notions, which chronicled the history of Tinsel Trading and the Ceppos family legacy. Marcia’s foreword for the book reflected her deep love for the craft and her pride in continuing a fourth-generation tradition rooted in curiosity, creativity, and respect for the handmade.
Those who knew Marcia remember her warmth, generosity, and keen eye for beauty. She had the rare ability to make people feel the same wonder she felt every time she uncovered a forgotten treasure.
Her influence rippled far beyond the walls of her Manhattan shop — touching artists, designers, and collectors around the world who continue to draw inspiration from her curated materials. Even after the store’s physical move from New York City to Berkeley, California, Tinsel Trading remained a symbol of timeless craft and creativity, much like Marcia herself.
Marcia Ceppos’s passing leaves behind an immeasurable void, but her legacy will continue to shimmer — in every ribbon she preserved, in every studio where her materials live on, and in every heart that values the delicate art of remembering.
In memory of Marcia Ceppos (1958–2025):
A daughter, friend, mentor, and visionary who kept the art of the notion alive — her threads still binding us gently to the beauty of the past.
