One of the things that happens in Raleigh is things happen.
Yes, I know that’s profound. But bear with me…
Tracey and I thought, gosh, Raleigh needs a vintage marketplace, something fun, with art and food trucks and beer. What the heck, let’s do it monthly. The guys from Trophy said, what the heck, use our brewery. Our favorite vintage vendors and artists said, what the heck, we’ll do the show! Bam, a thing happened.
We are not alone here in Raleigh. This is a place where things happen. Over at Deco Raleigh, Pam Blondin decided that the parking space alongside her store would make a much nicer green space. This is a big deal for a store owner; to willingly sacrifice a parking space for greenery. After all, customers need parking spaces to make greenery inside the store. By turning that space into a teeny-tiny park, Pam would lose that potential customer parking. She loved that crazy idea, and convinced the city to love it, too, and the first Raleigh Parklet was born.
Because here, things happen.
After the success of that thing, Pam and the Deco staff decided that Raleigh needed a way to privately fund more creative projects, a way to make Raleigh more, well, Raleigh. She sat down with another do-it person, Jed Gant, and they cooked up the Flight Fund.
Another thing, happening.
The Flight Fund needed some, um, funds, and Pam and Jessie Williams of Edge of Urge stirred up Flight, a pop-up shop to raise those funds. You, and a bunch of other folks, shopped at the Flight pop-up and helped fund the tremendous murals that are popping up all over downtown (including the first-ever sidewalk mural.)
Bam, that’s how that thing happened.
Deco Raleigh, Pam’s shop and main gig, is one of those places that seems like something new every fifteen seconds. You walk in, and it’s familiar (gift shop, yeah, I got this) then you turn your head and, whoop, it’s not. Is that a bottle opener shaped like a fish? Oh, okaaaay. Then you whip that head around the other direction and there’s a wall of beautiful papers. BBQ maps. A rack of funny AF greeting cards. Flasks. Books. A wall of tote bags you can NOT carry to the PTA meeting, but must own. At this point, you are lost, and your hands are full. And is that jewelry?
Wait, doesn’t your sister love fish? And wine?
Pam started Deco because she felt that downtown Raleigh needed a place to grab a gift and a card. A place that was fun, a place that reflected the community that she felt when she walked around Raleigh. She’s filled the shop with local artists and designer’s work, and Deco has become the place to go for a gift that says Raleigh, literally. So many of our Pop-Up Raleigh vendors and artist friends have sold work at Deco, too. Pam supports and encourages artists with advice and shelf space, both of which are necessary ingredients for new designers.
That’s her thing.
We are so happy to have the support of Deco Raleigh here at Pop-Up. We need the help of businesses like Deco to make this thing, this Pop-Up Raleigh thing, happen. Our little monthly market allows lots of designers, artists and vintage vendors to start their own thing, to make their thing happen.
Because in Raleigh, things happen.
