Let’s face it, taking the hike to Ikea to purchase home décor made out of plastic can be a drag. If you have always been more inclined towards the wacky or unusual aesthetic, then our discovery of Pop Up, a new antique store on Wilson Avenue in Bushwick, will make you happy! This gem is located inside the home of its owner, Craig Cady, and the store’s contents makes it really worth stopping by!
The small size of the shop is refreshing when compared to some of the large vintage warehouses in Williamsburg. Finding something worthwhile there is similar to searching for a needle in a haystack, but Pop Up prides itself on carrying only items of value and interest.
Cady has always had a love of antiques, and lucky for us he’s sharing his treasures with the rest of Bushwick. “It’s definitely a specific mid-century style that we’re going for, we have a lot of really rare items as well,” Cady said while showing me a vintage science kit.
The shop contains everything from Pez collectibles to antique travel bars. Cady’s favorite item is a vintage star clock that looks like it could hang in Don Draper’s office. Old frames, salt-and-pepper shakers and glassware are waiting for a new home.
The shop only displays about 30 percent of his collection. Cady keeps the rest of his items at his business partner’s home in St. Louis, Missouri. Cady and his partner travel throughout the South and Midwest looking for the next best item to add to the shop.
“We find a lot of things in old barns,” he said. “It’s really fun meeting people and discovering new things.” He also takes requests from locals who are looking for a specific vintage piece.
“We try to be as competitive as possible,” he said when asked about pricing. His partner’s background in archeology is put to use when determining quality and a reasonable selling price.
I haven’t seen anything else like this in the area and it’s definitely worth a look. Cady is just getting started and we’re excited to see what he’ll find next. “It was slow getting everything set up,” he said. “But it feels really adventurous.”