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  • Writer's pictureSarah Fleming

Our Story

Updated: Jul 15, 2019



Ryan and I met in June of 2013, at an outdoor party on the Gowanus Canal. Now that I think about it, there was a mobile bar there! So maybe it was destiny. At the time, Ryan was working at Spike Hill, then a staple of the Williamsburg bar scene, which is now, like many wonderful things that existed in New York at the time, defunct. There's probably an Apple Store or an Equinox in its place now. Sarah was working in the New York office of a Hong Kong-based garment manufacturer, doing everything from design to sales to production management.


In December 2015, we decided to break up with New York and move to Philadelphia. There were so many things that went into our decision. First of all, both of us are have roots here. Ryan was born and raised in Broomall, and both of my parents are from Philly (my mom actually grew up two houses down from Grace Kelly in East Falls!) In a sense we felt like we were coming home. Second, we were attracted to the grittiness of Philly; we felt that it was misunderstood in the larger universe, and we felt lucky to count ourselves among the group of people who believed in the city and wanted to build a life here: make friends, own a home and start a business. We knew we'd have an opportunity to be a part of the landscape of a changing and growing city in a way we never could in New York. This goes beyond the whole big pond vs. small pond thing; it was more like Philly was our VIBE. And we instantly felt at home in a way we never did in New York.


We immediately started the process of purchasing and renovating a 1920's rowhome in the Port Richmond neighborhood of the city. We made friends, we found jobs, we got a second dog. Now, in the summer, we drink vodka on the sidewalk with our Polish neighbors, we stormed Broad Street after the Eagles won the Super Bowl, and we fell in love with everything old and new in Philly-- but mostly old.


It's no secret that we love old things. Our old house is filled with passed down furniture from our parents and grandparents, decor and clothing from thrift stores, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. And I love my inherited car with over 140,000 miles on it.


When I first saw a renovated vintage trailer-turned-mobile bar on Instagram (while hungover the Sunday morning after a big work event-- but isn't that how the best ideas start?) I knew it was the perfect blend of our interests and expertise. We started digging into the nitty-gritty of what it would take to get a business like this off the ground. One person we are so grateful to is Rachel of the Traveling Spirit, who talked to me on the phone for almost an hour about the ins and outs of her business and made me feel like this was definitely something we could do with a combination of knowledge and a whole lot of elbow grease.


We'll be writing more about the process of getting our Airstream, Vicky, and the renovation and design process (don't we all love a little HGTV action!) and once we're up and running we'll be posting about all the amazing events we'll be doing, people we'll be meeting and drinks we'll be serving. Thank you for joining us as we embark on this new chapter!

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