Ithaca

2025 United States Pop-Up #1

My first pop-up location is Ithaca. I’m a little late to post this, considering I’m sitting down at my pop-up table and it’s 6:46, but better late than never. Before I left I tried to do a photo shoot for my latest pieces but the photo’s weren’t good enough to post, I will leave a teaser in this one and I will redo the photoshoot when I’m back home. So I left last night, packed everything up and headed out late, at 6pm. 2 hours in as I was stopping for gas I immediately received a compliment on the pants I had made and the guy was physiqued to hear that I was going cross country on an adventure to grow the brand. As I was getting back onto the highway after this encounter, my check engine light popped on; of course there had to be a negative side to such a rewarding start to my journey. I pulled off at Cobleskill and spent about an hour and a half trying to get the obd-1 codes which read 8-3, 8-4, and 8-5; ECU malfunction. I was kinda bummed that I had a check engine light and ECU malfunction so early into the trip until Tim came along. He helped me disconnect and reconnect my battery, sent me on the road, and the light has yet to re-appear.

By then it was 10:30, the time I was supposed to arrive in Ithaca. There was no way I was making it all the way, so I posted up right next to a posted sign in the middle of a dirt road in the woods.

It was a cold but peaceful night, and I left for Ithaca early this morning. When I got to Ithaca, I set up my first camp outside a baseball field and made an egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel. Most of today was spent napping and reading because I realized right after I set up my table and started ironing a new set of panties, that I did not have the power cords and pedals to my machines. So I thought I had to go back home, which was another many road bumps in my journey, but I told my mom and she said she would send them to my aunt in New York City, the next stop. So until Tuesday, I will not be making any new garments, which is fine, because I haven’t sold any. I wonder how many I will sell during this trip… I will start packing up my stand tonight at 8:30 or 9 and then make dinner, and camp out until tomorrow morning for my drive to NYC. When I get there I will have to pick my little cousin Clyde up from school. I will not set my wares out until Tuesday. I’m hoping to see Sam there, and I will see if Cole is around. My only leads today were a man that did a fent-lean on my stand, a nice woman from Cornel, an “unstylish and impatient old man”, and a group of kids who liked my expensive stuff, but didn’t like the price. I bet my leads will grow from day to day in hand with my street vendor experience. Wednesday I head further south to Washington, DC.

See you,

-RK