Thursday, November 12, 2020

A visit to FlyeLyfe on 11th Street

I’m meeting artist and store owner P.J. O’Rourke at FlyeLyfe, 434 E. 11th St. between First Avenue and Avenue A, to see what the 35-year-old East Village resident is showcasing at his 13-month-old shop.

He’s selling his original design magnets, tees, hoodies, sweatshirts, hats, masks, prints, patches, bags and caps, all printed in house. I’ve seen his stickers around the neighborhood, especially Dr. Fauci the Chronic 2020 and Wuhanalds, but it’s the Trumpkashi, a mashup of Tekashi 6ix9ine and Donald Trump that is getting the most attention while I am visiting...
O’Rourke previously sold merch in the subways via mobile art cart, what he calls his “subway hustle” and a bit of that hustle remains as he sits outside his storefront and calls out to passersby, holding up favorite designs and asking if they want to pay by cash, card or Bitcoin. “NY saved my life,” he tells me. 

“The access to foot traffic is why I am successful. I need the exposure of living in a city with a concentration of so many people. This is especially important if, like me, you don’t have money.”
FlyeLyfe has a month-to-month lease for now, and O’Rourke plans to keep the store in the neighborhood, but hopes to move to an on-the-Avenue spot for increased foot traffic and exposure.
You can keep up with the store here. The shop is open from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.

6 comments:

Beacon, NY said...

I'm trying to decipher the meaning of his wonderful DT caricature!

Anonymous said...

Good for him - it's nice to see a success story. I hope the shop does well.

Anonymous said...

cool store!

Jose Garcia said...

Is that the old watch repair place? That's a tough block for retail but if we all go out of our way to swing by wouldn't that be great? Miss Kita the Wonder Dog gets over that way now and again on her way to the Halal cart. Best, JG

Anonymous said...

This kind of store is what makes the neighborhood special. Best of luck!

LJR*leslifer said...

Love this store! We bought our son a few hoodies from FlyeLyfe; Kobe tribute, the Greek Freak (Giannis) and Michael Jordan. High quality hoodies, designs are one of a kind and excellent customer
service. We’ll def be shopping there for holiday gifts. Highly recommend them!