I suppose it has taken me this long to write about this night, because I wasn't sure how to relay the heavy wave of emotions. After an exhausting week installing artwork and Friday night art show in Hollywood, Saturday seemed to come swiftly like a blur. My poor pal from Ohio had no idea when she came to town for a pleasant vacation what was in store for her. The entire day full of anticipation about how it would all go down. I was a wreck.
Something about knowing that this would be the last art opening in the space seemed sad. I found myself reminiscing the past parties, the familiar faces, the crazy art shows, the funny moments, the old block...
I was wondering what would be the tipping point for the tears. What moment would it become real to me? I compared it to that feeling where you hear about a death but it doesn't sink in right away.
From the minute I walked downstairs the momentum was overwhelming, people from the early days, the first shows, the designers- the artists pouring in the front door all there to say goodbye to the little shop with odd hours. I couldn't believe all the people who brought surprise gifts, flowers and told stories of the shop.
The Apparel New retail editor let me know that we were featured on the front page of the website. You can read it here
we all had to say goodbye to the show pony mascot, which was sold later in the night to a darling young shopper!
Here I am on the steps with the artist from the last show...Lorena
Danielle from Ohio
view from the street
Look who's home from college for a short trip! EMMA
the right arm: Britt and her pal Micah
Look at me wearing my new JESSIE SPEARS sunglasses
Miss K.K. one of the old school designers for the space
ME and Emma: seems like old times
The Hottie Harb sisters
show pony official shutterbug taylor
there's a new red head in town
back in the early days, miss sarah aaronson would come to the shop and flash me the peace sign (she and her pal matthew thought that I looked like a hippie /stevie nicks)
brilliant writer jessica hundley (middle) with her lil sis and lil sis's boyfriend)
danielle and her cousin steven with his pal
old school pals jonathan and his lovely wife bethany. I don't think I've ever seen him without a cat theme shirt on
old show pony cohort niki swung by
Laura from Le Pink (who used to be the show pony neighbor!)
photographers of the house: lisa and taylor
hot new kids on the block
look at the cuties in the d.j. loft!
lil jasper's big art night out
outside the Han cholo boys had a flat bed truck with a live RAP act
fran had on her super silky jumpsuit
umar from the early art show days!
the shop stylist crew from the old days...scott free and janet planet! The first real stylists to rent our crazy frocks for videos and magazines
former shop girl cynthia and pals keeping watch at the door
eric and jubilee won the rad inchworm pinata
here's emma and her pal who took home the show pony mascot
lil brittzy manning the front desk at the last ever art show
fabulous show pony designer ari
D.J.Pubes and his sweet lady stella
here's the long goodbye to the bad boys next door to the show pony shop...that's right the Han Cholo kids are bailing on the block too. Brandon said that the only reason he ever moved and opened a shop on this block is cause I told him to join us, and since we are leaving he is following our lead. I joked that the real reason was probably that he would no longer have the show pony to borrow office supplies from.
so after this photo of me and my oldest L.A. pal kutmah was taken around 11:30, he went outside to bring in the clothes rack. I never saw him come back in and then 20 minutes later he called to say he had to go. He said that as he was bringing the rack in to the shop, he glanced up and saw the store and almost started crying.
And that was the moment it hit me, the point when the tears would come.
I instantly realized that this was the place where all of my memories of L.A. had taken shape. My best friendships forged. Remembering Kutmah and I printing one of kind tshirts in my bathroom for Shakira, making art on found objects all over echo park. It was then that I cried not just for the end of this adventure but for the fear of losing touch with these creative souls that I adore. I realized that this place that we could enter at any time, and do things whenever we pleased was no longer going to be "our" space. And that part was so hard to handle. But I hung up the phone and stood in an almost empty room with a few of my closest friends and starting crying because I knew that I just had too.
How many times have we pulled in the chairs and turned off the lights and closed the gate. I can't imagine what will take over this place in the future. I have never been that comfortable with change, and yet this past year has made me a semi-pro.
Over the course of this long weekend I cried a few more times about passing onto this new phase, once while talking about it to friends and once alone in the car.
(most pictures are mine, unless super professional then they are (c)taylor brittenham)
I apologize for the lack of blog posts lately and promise to get back on track starting this monday!
We are still open at the show pony til the end of the month our regular hours. The store will also be getting rid of more of it's displays, mannequins, jewelry cases, mirrors and merch. I will be posting some limited ed. prints on the etsy site later this week.
here's an oldie but goodie of me and brittzy