The reality of dreams
Judging from the Google Earth photo of Assumption Elementary School, I was expecting a small sidewalk gathering for the Blue White and Gold pop-up, a celebration of the finest Galaxy merch vendors around.
It was more like a mini-carnival.
In the past, One Two Threads and MiS made due with whatever space was available to hustle their craft. Packed street festivals, little patches of grass on the stadium outskirts. On a sunny Saturday with a touch of breeze, the vendors sold items on their own terms.
And business was booming. Galaxy fans of all ages could be seen ducking under tents and happily shoveling cash to their favorite creators, many of whom sold items exclusively for the pop-up.
I got there at 11:30 thinking I showed up too early. Nope, only took Beanies by BAE 20 minutes to sell out of their handcrafted Cozmo beanies. Dang.
Nearby was the boutique experience of Counter-Cult with their immaculate display of locally printed gear. Close by was LARS with the hit of the day, the coveted #RichGalaxyFans sticker.
Underneath a custom One Two Threads canopy, Jamie Pham had his head on a swivel attending to customers. Same for the OG pin crafter Julio.
Of course the event wasn’t all hard capitalism. The Angel City Brigade and Galaxy Outlaws had large presences on hand while AFJA educated the fan base on their mission to aid Central American youth soccer academies.
If the event felt surreal, it’s with good reason. Most of us have spent the past year crammed in our homes evading a deadly pandemic to the point where our social skills have eroded. When a rare breeze offered relief from the hot sun, you could almost feel the chill vibes. (And smell the panes con pollo) Btw, that sample of marshmallow and banana ice cream Da Vinci was handing out? Bangin.
Sadly, a fun day ended abruptly. Several of us had to move our cars to help a teacher escape the jam-packed parking lot, because who needs bad karma.