Two years in, I figured the best way to mark the occasion was to answer ten questions about how we got here, as honestly as I can. Here we go.
Ed, UrbanCred
Origins
You never planned on opening a physical shop. What changed?
Honestly, we didn't. UrbanCred started online, and a storefront wasn't really on the table. But I spent a lot of time in Greenpoint, and walking those streets, the neighborhood grew on me.
Moving there wasn't in the cards, but I started wondering what it would look like to open a shop there instead. The people were good, the other shops complemented what we do, and the area felt clean and safe. We got lucky on the space, and here we are.
The old spot
What did your old location teach you?
That a ramp can make or break a store. Our older spot was bigger, and we thought the extra room was worth the tradeoff of having a ramp out front. It wasn't. It really hurt our foot traffic, and to be fair, we never used all that space as well as we could have.
A smaller shop forces you to think about every square foot and make it earn its place. I do miss the extra room sometimes, especially now that we have ideas that would need it, but we're happy with what we have.
Where we wereOur previous location
Carry Club
How did Carry Club come together?
It was a bunch of ideas that eventually landed in one place. People say "if you build it, they will come," but who actually believes that? There was a real fear that we'd build it and nobody would show up.
What helped was starting small, keeping expectations low, and growing from there.
"It's still small. That's kind of the point."
Ed, on Carry Club
The regulars
Do you know everyone's name by now?
I'll be honest: I'm terrible with names. That's why I started handing out the "Hello, I am" stickers. But there are faces, here in the shop and over on Discord, that I'm hugely thankful to keep seeing month after month. You know who you are, even if I'm still checking your sticker.
There's a group of regulars who try to make it every month, and it means a lot every time they do. If you haven't joined us yet, the Discord is where it all happens: discord.gg/kFnmyyfzDs.
The team
Who keeps UrbanCred running?
Since we opened the physical shop, we've had some great people join the core team, and they keep me in check.
Resident artist
Gordon
Can tell you just how frustrating it gets when my mind wanders off into grand ideas with no substance behind them. He pulls me back.
Keeps us operational
Frank
His background in carry, materials, coffee, and customer service shows up in the day-to-day constantly, and he comes through whenever he can.
Newest of us
Daryl
Enthusiastic and honest. I can trust him to own a mistake and work to get better.
None of us are perfect. Covering each other's weaknesses is what a team is. I don't say it nearly enough, but I'm thankful every day for their dedication, both to keeping UrbanCred a place for the community and to keeping it afloat.
The patches
Where do the anniversary patches come from?
My love of hard sci-fi and cyberpunk. If you asked for my favorite games, I'd say Cyberpunk 2077, Star Citizen, Helldivers, and StarCraft. StarCraft is something I grew up with, and Cyberpunk 2077 hit me hard for its story and world-building.
When I first sat down with Dan Matsuda of SAMPLE, his background in Japanese culture and design meshed really well with all of that, and together we created the persona you see on the patches. It's something we both poured a lot into, and I look forward to seeing it grow every year, from our first UrbanCred × SAMPLE patch to last year's 1st Anniversary Edition and now these two.
Our very first patch, the Mecha King Kong, came before all that. It was my own design, made for opening day to capture NYC in the shop's style.
UrbanCred × SAMPLE · 2nd Anniversary Edition$30 each · In store Oct 24
I kind of call it our baby.
Ed, on the persona he and Dan created
Working with Dan
How do you and Dan actually work together?
Pretty naturally. I toss out some ideas, he tosses out his, and through some simple back-and-forth it comes together. Our thinking usually moves in the same direction, but we both push back when something doesn't make sense to one of us.
That's what makes it a real collaboration. This year we made two patches together, and I'm really proud of them.
They take the persona in two directions. The astronaut is a cyberpunk take on the people who shop with us. The oni holding an omusubi is all Dan, a character he dreamed up just for this collab.
Daily carry
What are you carrying right now?
Anyone on the team will tell you I believe that if I get something, it needs to be special. Our old teammate Sandlass, a serious carry guy who never blinks at a high-end custom piece, would understand completely. (I still want that Dyneema umbrella.)
My current rotation is the Matador Redeye and the Evergoods Civic Daily Tote in Konbu, wearing our Evergoods collab patch by Gordon, of course.
In the rotation · Matador Redeye and Evergoods Civic Daily Tote, KonbuAt the shop
| Bag | Matador Redeye |
| Tote | Evergoods Civic Daily Tote 24L, Konbu |
| Patch | UrbanCred × Evergoods, by Gordon |
| Wish list | The Dyneema umbrella |
Year three
What's next for UrbanCred?
We have a few ideas we're playing with, but right now the main focus is simple: keep building the business so I can take better care of the team that keeps it running. Everything else comes after that.
One thing I can tease: we're putting together an archive sale with Able Carry in early November. More on that soon.
Oct 24
So what's happening on the 24th?
We're throwing a proper Carry Club.
Up for raffle · Minus-8 Diver GMTFor meetup guests · Drawing 12:50pm
