The first HebTroCo pop up shop was in the Blazing Saddles bike shop in Hebden Bridge. The shop had been devastated by the floods of Boxing Day 2015 and was in the process of being cleared and dried out ready for building works. We’d been there the day after the flood, helping to sweep mud and water out of the shop, along with a big gang of other locals, who made their way into town with shovels and brushes and a desire to see the town back on its feet. Heather and John, the owners of Blazing Saddles, kindly invited us to use the empty space left behind after the clean up for our first ever public event.
We’d founded HebTroCo a few weeks before and all we had was a bag containing six pairs of trousers. The space was big and we felt small. After a bit of head scratching we came up with a plan. Brant had a pair of Technics SL1200 decks and an old mixer and Ed had some nice speakers. Martin from the local bar Drink, also going through flood recovery, donated half a barrel of beer. Print Bureau made us two banners.
It was one of the best days. All day we played records, dug out of the attic and played for the first time this century. 1988 to 1992 acid house was mixed up with the music of Madchester, punk, reggae, rock and indie pop. We all happily drank the free beer and people tried on and ordered trousers. For the first time we met our customers and we all had a good time. We had a party, we got loaded and we didn’t get hassled by the man.
Since then there have been HebTroCo events and pop up shops at Magic Rock Brewery Tap, Altrincham Market, at a mountain bike film event in Scotland, in the North West Barber Co. shop, on motorbikes, in more bars and even in London.
Last weekend we ran the HebTroCo Bizarre Bazaar in Hebden Bridge. We’ve got a PA now, a strange collection of wooden pop up shop fittings and about half a ton of trousers, as well as belts, boots and jackets. Things have come on.
We were joined at the Bizarre Bazaar by various friends who all run their own independent, small businesses. Iain Trickett is a happy chap from Accrington with a passion for well made products that he likes to share with the world. He puts into practice the philosophy of, “it’s not how much you’ve got, but what you do with what you’ve got”. Garments, coffee machines, pencils, oven gloves, sunglasses. You name it and he’s probably already thought of it, has had it made just right, and put his name on it.
Steve is an old mate who one day ended up in a wheel chair because of a terrible accident that could have happened to any one of us. Not content to just sit there doing nothing, he decided to come out positive and work to inspire others to do the same. His t-shirts and other Can’t Quit branded merchandise show the finger to the negative and demand that we ‘Stay Rad’ regardless of what life throws at us.
Line Cut Supply is the work of Aimee. Her womenswear collection is proudly made in Sheffield. The cut and finish is lovely, the style is understated and the clothes hang beautifully and are practical and hardwearing.
Ruby makes the HebTroCo CNC Belt for us in Hebden Bridge and has been there helping us as we’ve grown. She now has her own collection of leather bags and accessories for women which she showed for the first time in one place at our event. She is going places.
Mary has founded her own brand The Bone Market whilst holding down a full time job. She is following a dream and putting in the graft to have her own clothing and accessories brand. We know Mary because according to Facebook she is in a relationship with our regular photographer Alex. It must be serious.
Matt and Emily from Out To Lunch have fed us well at many of our events with their smorgasbord of slaws, dogs, brisket, chilli, salads and sauces. They are parents of two robust small boys and have other jobs as well as working hard at festivals and events to build their catering business.
Our Sean doesn’t just pack orders and manage the HebTroCo warehouse, he also runs a cool gin and craft beer bar at Hebden Bridge railway station with his wife Elly. The Pig and Barrel was a welcome addition to the Bazaar and we did not go thirsty.
It’s a family affair and we are dead proud of it. If you came to the Bazaar, thanks for coming, if you’ve bought something from us thanks for your business and if you’re reading this, thanks for reading and please feel free to share what we are doing if you like what you see.
