Back from Brooklyn
6.09.2009
Whew. What a crazy week it's been.
Last Thursday morning, at 6AM, Vincent and I hopped in the van and embarked on the long drive up to Brooklyn, New York, from Marietta Georgia. We were scheduled to stay at a hotel/apartment on the South side (Chinatown, incidentally) of the city that night, so were pretty determined to get there as soon as possible, making only the 3 or 4 absolutely necessary stops along the way. At 10PM, we made it, making the whole 900-mile trip about 16 hours. Not bad!
After checking in and taking a few moments to enjoy the luxury of laying down, we realized how hungry we were and went looking for food. We found a Chinese restaurant just around the corner, and it felt really great to be able to use my Chinese again. Although I didn't feel at first like the 3 months in China did a whole lot for my language skills, it's become certain that my comprehension and basic communication speed has increased a good bit, which is hugely encouraging since I don't consider myself to be all that great with foreign languages.
Then we went home, had some beer, and crashed. Friday was just a rest day and a bit of exploration, but when the weekend finally rolled around, it was time to get to work. That meant driving to McCarren park, finding our spot in the labyrinth of booths, parking, unpacking, and setting up. All told, it took the full 3 hours to get settled in and ready for business, which began promptly at 11AM.
Unfortunately, I have to say that I wasn't too impressed with how I did that first day. Although the crowd was steady, it seemed like there were more browsers than buyers, and a lot of people were clearly looking for bargain purchases. Although I still made more than enough to cover my expenses and make it all worth my while, it wasn't exactly the business boom I was hoping for. But what made up for all that, as always, was the people.
Included in the people were folks like Kyle Crawford, the owner of Electric Zombie (the guy I poke fun at in my first Vimeo video), Rob Dobi, the founder and artist behind Fullbleed, and Ray Masaki, the guy from Lowdtown, another clothing line. Aside from them, there were a handful of other reputable designers and illustrators that came by the booth to introduce themselves and say hi. It was awesome to get that kind of welcome. So if you guys are reading this, thanks!
And in addition to those folks, there were other vendors there like the mighty David Murray of Seibei, the trio of John, Mike, and Justin of Fuzzy Ink, and the incredibly inventive Jon Wye. At the end of the first day, Vincent and I went out to eat with the Fuzzy Ink guys and Jon Wye and his apprentice, Jeff. It was great to relax a bit, talk business, and strategize for the next day.
As it turned out, the second day was a lot better for me. I'm not sure exactly what the reason behind this was, but the sales were much more constant, and at the end of the weekend, I was satisfied. Not thrilled, but not disappointed. We packed up, crashed hard, and headed out on Monday for Raleigh. Vince had friends there with couches and floorspace, so we crashed there for the night and finished the final 6 hours today.
All these shows and events are really taking a toll on my energy, and it kind of feels like I'm making up for all the work I didn't do while I was cruising for 3 months in China. In any case, it's pretty cool to be able to see so much of the country before going back for good, and the summer always lends itself to travel. Now for a few days of rest before I visit family out in Cali... Time to sleep for like 17 hours or so. G'night.
posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:48 PM,
5 Comments:
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At 12:38 AM,
HolyshitiLoveyou said...
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Hi Eric! At breakdown time on Sunday I made a bee-line for your tent to scoop up one of your tees but your pal Vincent told me you were making the rounds yourself. Agh! Timing!
I hope Brooklyn treated you well and that you return soon! Also, confusingly enough, if you want you can just see my tees all together at http://rumplo.com/people/person/sabletoothtiger/submissions/
I'll send you a snap of me in my new Linty Fresh duds on the double.
x Sable -
At 7:19 AM,
Mr. Linty said...
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Awesome! Thanks a ton for the support and see you next time around!
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At 2:17 AM,
HolyshitiLoveyou said...
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As promised:
http://3storydesign.blogspot.com/2009/06/so-renegade-was-big-thumbs-up.html -
At 12:40 PM,
von said...
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you are an inspiration. great shirts, nice tips (youtube) and great blog. i'm a fan. awesome. :)
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At 11:14 AM,
Mr. Linty said...
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Sable,
Sweet, lovin the polaroids!
Von,
Thanks!
