Dispatches from the People's Pops Email Inbox

From this week's email exchange, a picture of Nat and Dave at the MAST Academy prom in Miami in May 2000.

Joel responds:

David:

Pop Culture, Indeed

Has anyone noticed the profusion of pops in mass marketing this summer?

Here's a giant pop at Target, right next to a giant flip-flop.

Here's the window of J. Crew on 5th Ave (it's hard to tell, but the little squares in the backdrop are all ice pops)

Here's Pret a Manger in Union Square.

Anyone else seen examples of this lately?

What's New These Days

Our lives are moving by so fast that everything is happening in bullet points! (And exclamation marks!!) (And question marks?)

• Joel's talented brother made a video of our first day at the Brooklyn Flea this year. It's here...and so convincing that you almost forget everyone is wearing mittens and parkas. Thanks Nate!

• We are up on the High Line again for the summer: find us at the "Chelsea Market Passage" (right above 16th St).

We are suuuper psyched about this. If you haven't been on the High Line lately: Part II just opened, and it's absolutely gorgeous. Get thee to it, and after Wednesday 6/22 our Joel-and-Robin-designed new kiosk will also be there to admire.

• Besides our own retail outlets, you can also find our pops nesting chez these fine purveyors:

• Nolita Mart (Nolita)
• Brucie (Carroll Gardens)
• Marlow & Daughters (Williamsburg)
• Brooklyn Victory Garden (Clinton Hill)
• Stinky Bklyn (Carroll Gardens)
• Whole Foods (Upper West Side).

• For years now we've been turning down folks in Tennessee, Colorado or Florida who want to get their hands on some pops. No more! Anyone further afield and jonesin', take note: the lovely folks at Manhattan Fruitier will now ship people's pops overnight on dry ice. Wooooot!

• The other day I randomly noticed that the background pic on Rue's phone was the chalkboard from last year's Chelsea Market shop, where it's been....since last year. We have hired some awesome new people we feel lucky to hang out in the kitchen and on the shop with...but it's pretty great to get the old family back together again, too.

Every summer, the season swallows us in, whirls us around, and (eventually) spits us out. The ride is far from over, but we're optimistic. Our problems may be bigger, but they're better, too. Stay tuned. We have more news coming.

It's Art, Y'All.

One of our customers helped bring this one-ton block of ice to the Bahamas, where it sat for a year in a clear glass freezer powered by solar panels.

Way to make us feel like wimps, Tavares Strachan.

One-Month Pop-Up in Madison Square Park!

New Location Opening Today!

We're taking part in a one-month pop-up on the west side of Madison Square Park (Worth Square) from May 6-June 3.

Come see us! Bring your mom!!

Saturday, as always, we'll be at the Brooklyn Flea in Ft. Greene, at this new Mad Sq Mkt pop-up and at our Chelsea Market shop. We'll also be at the New Museum's Festival of Ideas for New York City, vending on Rivington St and Chrystie St.

Sunday (Mother's Day), we'll be at the Brooklyn Flea in Williamsburg, this new Mad Sq Mkt pop-up and at our Chelsea Market shop.

It's gettin' to be summer! Woot woot!

The Real Chelsea Market After Dark

FACT: people's pops Chelsea Market is open until 9pm Monday-Saturday (Sundays til 7).

FACT: you can legally drink alcohol at our Chelsea Market shop

FACT: BYOB to our Chelsea Market shop and one of our friendly servers will make you a shave ice cocktail mixer. If you don't have any booze handy, stop by Chelsea Wine Vault and pick up some Prosecco.

A few shave ice cocktail suggestions:

• watermelon-tequila
• peach-champagne
• pear-cognac

See you after dark....

Joel just sent in a pretty (daytime) pic of the shop--we love it! Much love to Robin Hiner, woodworker extraordinaire, and his cool girlfriend Katie.

Wee hours of last night

The shop in Chelsea Market's looking nearly good to go! This is it circa 6 a.m. Thursday (this) morning.

What does this mean? It means, of course, that full-fledged summer is just around the corner. And to celebrate, we're giving away free shave ice on Day 1 again, 'til supplies run out!

We're in a spot right next to last year's shop, near the doors on 15th St b/w 9th and 10th Ave, by Jacques Torres and Lucy's Whey in the so-called "Arcade." Habitués will know us by the popsicle-stick counter and the big block of ice. Just like last year, we'll be there April til October.

Prices haven't changed ($2.50 for shave ice, $3.50 for pops), and we'll still be vending at our other locations: the Brooklyn Fleas, the New Amsterdam Market, and hopefully the High Line (RFPs are due this week).

Opening flavors:

Blackberry & Sour Cherry

Plum, Yogurt & Tarragon

Blueberry-Jasmine

Strawberry-Basil

Plum & Blueberry

With customers showing up right at our 10 am opening last year for a taste of shave ice, it took just 5 hours to go through 150 pounds of ice--so show up early, say hi, and enjoy a shave on people's pops!

SEE YA THERE!!

!! Chelsea Market Opens Friday !!

It was a bit of déjà vu when we found ourselves gluing pop sticks to plywood deep into the night this weekend. (Thankfully, this time, Nat wasn't nursing wounds from having been hit by a car earlier that day...viva 2011!)

Even though we were exhausted from a big-bang day at the Brooklyn Flea (we showed up at 9 a.m. in down jackets....and ended up at 5 p.m. sunburnt, sweating and sold out), we stopped by the brand-new brick-n-mortar location of our BkFlea compatriots Asiadog on Kenmare St for sustenance in hot dog form, then zoomed over to our buddy Robin's Greenpoint workshop.

We found our groove pretty quickly and got most of the glueing done that night. Robin's woodwork looks terrific. Now we only have 4,452,236 things left to do before we open on Friday. Stay tuned for more info about the launch!

Brooklyn Flea Debut This Weekend!

Flavors Fresh Outta the Kitchen:

Blueberry-Jasmine

Strawberry w/ Organic Yogurt

Bartlett Pear, O-Cream and Ginger.

Come taste! Come celebrate! People's Pops 2011 is here!

Summer 2011: not far behind....

Saturday: Brooklyn Flea Ft. Greene

Sunday: all-new Brooklyn Flea Williamsburg Waterfront