#karmapop

“at this point in my life this is everything that I have”

BICYCLIST: Krystal Mack 

I explored so many options and I followed so many food accounts online -- on Instagram and Facebook, and one of the accounts that I followed also sold ice pops on their tricycle. I was like, “Oh, well that’s the exact same thing that I want to do except not on a tricycle but let me look into that more.” I reached out to them and asked them a lot of questions, and they were like, “You should totally do it. It’s such a good startup idea.” I wasn’t sure if it was for me or how it would operate but it's been going pretty good.  It’s just a matter of me working towards getting to the point where I can sustain my business by itself without having to have a full time job, which is what I do now.

--What’s it like riding a tricycle around?

It’s not as easy as I thought it would be operating the tricycle. It’s definitely a heavy bike. It’s 140 pounds with nothing in it. I’ve been riding that through Baltimore, and it’s very hilly. In the summer time I’m drenched in sweat and people are like, “Keep going!”  When I do bike party people are cheering me on, which is really really encouraging. I really felt the love from the cycling community at Bike Party. It made me really happy to be accepted by them because I didn’t want them to think I’m just some girl doing the business and using the tricycle as a pull. It has gotten me a lot of attention because it’s a tricycle, but I would hope that people actually like my product, and actually like me. They don’t have to love me but just like, “She’s cool. Her stuff is good. Why not?” The feedback has been really great. I’m really happy -- started from the bottom now I’m here.

--What were some of the challenges for you first starting out as a business?

Living in Mount Vernon it was easy for me to do a pop up in Fells Point or in Harbor East or in Charles Village. Hampden was a stretch, but I would. It’s hard for me now because I’m so far away from the areas that bring me a good source of income. I don’t have anywhere that I really go for a base. I didn’t realize how threatened other restaurants were by mobile food vendors, and you hear that a lot from food truck people in the foodie scene. I think it’s because we are able to go wherever our customers are -- they don't have to come to us, but on the days when the weather is bad we suffer as a mobile food business. That’s one of the challenges -- not having a one go-to spot that people can come and find me.

--Where did your idea to use the tricycle come from?     

I wanted something that was safe for me especially because I hadn’t really rode a bike since my childhood, and I was just like, “This will be a cool way to get around the city and explore, stay active, and healthy,” but I never really rode in the city, because I’m scared.  This is not a bike friendly city at all. So for me I always admired people that I saw riding through. With my tricycle I don’t feel that scared because I’m like, “I’m obviously out here. You can obviously see me.” If not for the “What is that?” factor, then for the fact that it’s just so big. There’s no way that people couldn’t see me. I bought it used for a good deal from Hailey Trikes in Philly and I refurbished it.  My graphic designer Kate Godwin of Half-Hitch Press hand painted on the final design. The only people [Hailey Trikes] really make a food tricycle for are Little Baby’s Ice Cream in Philly.  The people from Little Baby’s came to the Food Emporium in Baltimore last year and brought their tricycle.  It was really cool to talk with them about logistics of getting around and I was like, “You guys are so cool. You’re doing it!” and they were like, “You’re doing it too!”

I’m at a weird place where I’m trying to have my adult independence but I’m also trying to grow my business. I’m definitely putting the amount of money that you would need to raise a child into my business. I would never compare it to that, but financially it is kind of like that. But it’s been a cool ride, no pun intended.

--Have you noticed any other tricycles around the city since you started riding?

I have. It’s a low startup cost. They range from like $1,000 to $3,000, which in the the grand scheme of things is not a lot of money when you’re thinking about starting a business and having your own space to sell from. You can sell jewelry... I’ve seen coffee tricycles -- you can sell pretty much whatever you want as long as the city says it’s okay. I don’t have anyone to help me. It’s just me doing everything by myself. As much as I love the tricycle and I definitely want it to be apart of the story in the long run, I don’t want it to be the story period. I don’t want people to be drawn to the concept that it’s all about the tricycle. It is about the tricycle in some regards, but to me the tricycle symbolizes a freedom. I don’t have a storefront and I can go anywhere with this and I can take this wherever it needs to go. This has given me the opportunity to make a name for myself, provide for myself and grow my business.

--Do you think the people that you’ve met while riding the tricycle have influenced your products at all?

It’s very much a community based business. It was funded through Kickstarter and the fact that I do a lot of community sponsorship and cross promoting, and a lot of events that are community based like Bike Party, does reflect my brand in that regard. It gives a general vibe of who I am and what my business is. My [products] taste good; anyone can have them, I’m self taught. At Bike Party one guy said to me, “I want to do that with porridge.”  I thought, “That’s so specific.”  I would love to see something like that. I would love to partner with another person that wants to sell their stuff on the street that has a tricycle.  It would be cool to have a tricycle rally.

--What was Bike Party like for you?