Emma DiMarco, a Fordham University fine arts graduate, is celebrating the first anniversary of her Bushwick vintage pop-up shop and clothing brand, Kissing Cowboys. Located at 56 Bogart Street, DiMarco has gained a strong social media following as a vintage seller, attracting nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok and 19.1 million likes for her vintage thrift hauls and pop-up events.
The name Kissing Cowboys originated from a New Year’s resolution DiMarco had to kiss a cowboy or cowgirl during a cross-country western thrift shop road trip. DiMarco took the trip, exploring 40 thrift stores from Texas, New Mexico, and Wyoming, with her dog Willie Nelson. DiMarco was encouraged by friends to take advantage of her keen eye for vintage clothes and rising social media presence to start her own vintage business.
One night when brainstorming brand names, she thought of the idea “Kissing Cowboys,” and her father encouraged her to get the name trademarked that same evening. DiMarco began with one rack a friend offered her at a vintage market and ended up earning $1,600 from a personal closet sale her first time selling.
DiMarco’s most recent pop-up had locals in Bushwick standing outside as early as 9 a.m. waiting for up to four hours for a chance to shop in DiMarco’s hand-selected pop-up for their first anniversary of business. DiMarco was able to earn approximately $7,000 from her last pop-up. While at the same time, DiMarco’s own brand, Kissing Cowboys, meant to replicate the vintage styles they hand-select in their pop-up, sold out overnight of her most recent hat put up for sale.
Overwhelmed by the support of the community, DiMarco expressed, “I feel really grateful for my success, I sobbed my eyes out,” after noticing members of our community were lined up in the rain since 9 a.m. to get a chance to shop at DiMarco’s hand-selected anniversary pop-up. The studio was full of racks and racks and racks of hand-selected vintage pieces. You could see people finely combing through each rack looking for the piece that called to them or fulfilled the need for a new winter coat. However, the space itself was expertly curated by DiMarco with plants, paper lanterns, her dog Willie Nelson, and a vintage Coca-Cola cooler filled with Kissing Cowboys stickers and patches.
The night before, DiMarco threw a party inviting all of her closest friends to celebrate her first year of business before the anniversary pop-up in the morning. Everyone was invited to wear cowboy hats, find a cowboy or cowgirl to kiss, and enjoy a dirty Shirley champagne tower to celebrate one year of Kissing Cowboys. This sparked the idea for DiMarco to host events in her studio to create an alternative social space for lesbians in Bushwick who are looking for a conversational house party space. DiMarco’s third house party, Friday, November 15th, at 10:00 p.m. at her studio on 56 Bogart Street, has already been sold out weeks in advance. You can follow the house party account on Instagram to stay tuned for the next event.
DiMarco has loved the way the Bushwick thrift community and fellow sellers have shared their wisdom with her to empower her business success in her first year, such as Woke Vintage and members of DiMarco’s own team.
“It’s been nice to have people to work with,” she said. “Before I freelanced and worked for myself. It was really fucking lonely. It’s nice to come to the studio and have people who are there that you can talk to and you can bounce ideas off of. Working by yourself as an influencer is so isolating, I hated it.”
When asked if DiMarco would ever shift from pop-ups to being open full time, DiMarco shared a unique perspective on how she feels that pop-ups empower her more to be successful than a full-time business would.
“I like having events. I don’t think we would always be open,” she said. “It’s just a lot of work, staffing, and it doesn’t really give me freedom, which is part of the reason why I love pop-ups. I could go to the woods next week and go to the Catskills while we brainstorm ideas for new merch.”
Stay tuned on DiMarco’s Instagram and TikTok, for a sneak preview at the pieces she’s showing at her next pop-up November 16th and 17th this weekend from 1:00–5:00 p.m. Pieces are on sale from $5–$75 with a special winter stock of vintage motorcycle and Yankee jackets for the recent chill in the air. Located again on 56 Bogart Street in Bushwick, New York, bring a friend or book for the wait with the first 100 customers getting a free Kissing Cowboys tote bag.
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