All the snacks at this New York convenience store are made of felt
It's a storeselling all your favorite late-night snacks, from Sour Patch Kids to Doritos to Swedish Fish and even Whoppers...with a small catch. You can't eat them. Because they're made of felt.
...Whaaaaaa?
It's weird, it's wonderful, and it's all going down at a pop-up "bodega" (if you can call it that) called 8 'Till Lateat the Standard Hotel in New York CIty, open from 10 a.m. to 8 pm. through June 30. The store is one-part art installation, one-part real shop, and everything in it is stitched from felt. Looking for Eggo waffles? Or Benadryl? How about Tide detergent and a small can of Spam? You can find it all here—you just can't actually, you know, use it. Again, everything's made of fabric.
There are even Clearblue brand pregnancy tests and a "Value 3 Pack" of Colgate toothbrushes. And just like you'd see in any convenience store, there are dozens of cigarette packs. In true New York fashion, there are felt hot dogs, too—complete with glitter glue mustard and ketchup dispensers that customers are invited to use themselves.
The ultra-creative installation is the brainchild of artist Lucy Sparrow, who had already brought the exhibition to British audiences. She successfully raised over $53,000 to fund the New York iteration on Kickstarter, and spent nine months working with 10 helpers to stock the store with plush items.
"In Summer 2017 Sparrow embraces her biggest project to date," reads the description offered on the Kickstarter page. "The Convenience Store, opening in New York, a city where at the heart of every block the neon signs of the local convenience store are a beacon of hope to hungover everywhere. Where cures come in the form of a dubious pizza slice from the hot food counter or a New York icon, the hot dog from a hot dog stand, quick and cheap."
Photographs are permitted, thankfully, but that's not all; customers can actually purchase the felted goods from Sparrow herself, who runs the store wearing a smock with the 8 'Till Late logo on it. (Yes, that's a play on 7 Eleven.)
Oh, and there's also Krampuss, the felt bodega cat. He's not for sale.
