Brooklyn

2025 United States Pop-ups #2

Once I got to NYC I picked up Clyde from school and brought him home to my Aunts house. I said hello, covered the things in my car, took a shower, and went to see my old friend Sam. We had some chicken and watched a documentary about Osama Bin Laden. It was a nice welcoming into town. The next day I got up and checked on my car. On the way down to NYC from Ithaca the check engine light re-appeared, so I looked for parts and did some minor inspection, but there's a lot going on with it so I will have to bring it to a mechanic to make sure It's ready to tread across the country.

I didn’t get around to do a pop-up, but I got to spend extra time with family. Originally I was only planning on staying with my Aunt and Uncle for 2 days, but since my grandmas internment is in New Jersey this saturday, I was approved to stay until friday. This was better for me because I got to do more pop-ups in Brooklyn, spend more time with my Cousins, and it gave me more time to wait for the sewing machine power cords and pedals. I ended up setting the first pop-up at the corner of McCarren Park on Bedford Ave near the Lorimer St side.

While I didn't sell anything yet again, I had many people glance at the clothes with interest, and there was one woman who wanted to buy pants for her rockstar husband, but felt the front rise was too short. That evening I took care of my little Cousins. We got Chinese food around the block and ordered some bubble tea. We finished a movie they liked and went to bed.

Braided Lulu’s hair. I’m out of practice

The next day I helped my Aunt and Uncle move furniture. We moved a large heavy console piece from the upstair bedroom to the downstairs living room which took a lot of teamwork and patience. It was a rainy day so I couldn't really go out and do another pop-up, so I shipped the juki power cord to Putney finally, got Halal-N-Out, and did a lot of writing.

On my second to last day the sewing machine power cords and pedals came, along with chocolate and a letter from my mom. I think I might subconsciously forget things whenever I leave home because my mom always sends me super nice packages. It was another day of hanging out with family for me. We got a nice lunch and I did some more writing and photography. For dinner that night we all had some homemade chile rellenos, and afterward we played a long game of Pit. I hadn't heard of or played this game before, but apparently it is popular in my family. It's a super easy and fun game based on the stock exchange. My little Cousin Clyde ended up winning with his reverse karma technique. I slept in the morning after, and since I now had the pedals and cords for my sewing machines, I decided to do my first "working" pop-up. (As in the first pop-up where I was working on the clothes at the same time I was selling them). My working space was tight, slow, and I was only out for 2 hours, but I was still able to make decent progress on some thongs. I also made a sign and a goodbye letter for my fam.

I think that the sewing set up deters potential customers and also limits my presentation space, so I'm gonna work on getting a larger space with a more welcoming atmosphere that doesn't mess up my flow. I packed up my shop, loaded my overnight bag, flowers, and cards Christen asked me to deliver to family for her, said my goodbyes, and headed to Morristown to see my Brother and Dad for my Grandma's internment. Just the three of us had a nice dinner at a fancy Mediterranean restaurant and fell asleep watching National Geographic. Today was saturday, my last day in New York/New Jersey. My Aunt Emmy had arranged the whole service, and had managed to get a few friends and relatives of my Grandma Jane to come.

There was a friend Happy, and some cousins. I only remember one of their names, Nancy, because my dad kept saying it over and over again, but I rarely see my dad's side of the family so it's hard to remember their names. After the service we all went to lunch, and even though everyone on my dad's side live very separate lives, it was nice to come together and talk.

I don't think I will see those other cousins or Happy (who is a really cool engineer/photographer who my grandparents mentored) for a very long time, however I am hoping to visit my Aunt Emmy in Los Angeles. When I got back to the hotel, I promptly packed my things and left for Washington DC. It was a 4 hour drive, and I'm ready for bed.

See you,

RK

GTFO