We had the good fortune of connecting with Avedon Arcade and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Avedon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

At the time, I wanted some way to be able to support creating the products, apparel and accessories that I wanted for myself and offset those costs. I thought, “well I know I’m not the only person who’s a fan of this; so I should definitely make more, keep some for myself and sell the rest.”  From there it just snowballed into something more substantial; which came in the form of creating an actual company.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?


I know it sounds cliche, but my art encapsulates a lot of different mediums; many of which rarely tie into one another but are not mutually exclusive either. It all began with drawing and painting though. I was a fan of great art growing up, the art of comics that is! But through that it lead me to the original masters. So I think my art has been like an amoeba of sorts; shapeless in the sense of not fitting a particular style, but the style that fits what I’m trying to express in that moment. It could be anything from very graphically minimalist to more traditional like figurative impressionist. And yet there are favorite artists of mine that you probably wouldn’t be able to tell based off my work. Basquiat is one key artist that is constantly inspiring me. But like most people who grew up in my period, I gravitated towards early 90s anime, the 80s, monster films, toys, and so much more. A lot of which are subjects I want to produce work for. I hope my brand Hip Arcade, that’s mostly geared towards the pop culture folk out there, shows how much I love the same things they do. While at the same time, include other niche interests or original works.
 
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

I think anyone that knows me well enough now would expect some good cocktail bars. Though more than anything, a tiki bar! My go tos being, The Tiki Ti and The Tonga Hut. Two places I would call second homes and of which are historical establishments I’ve had the honor of creating merch for. But I can’t start a day without some coffee, and I would probably hit up Dinosaur down the street or De La Tierra Cafe for some really good Cafe de Olla cold brew. I would also take them up to Barnsdall Park to give them a lay of the land and then head out to check out any current art openings around the city. Or just visit one of the many museums in the area.
At some point we could head down to Frogtown to have lunch at Spoke Bicycle Cafe and take a walk along the L.A. River. If there’s time during their stay, we’d hit up a Bob Baker Marionette show and hang out in Highland Park for a bit. We would definitely hit up Chinatown for some snacks and make our way downtown for some picture taking. As a photographer I’m always looking for an excuse to go shoot and practice with people. Making art is always on my mind even when I’m not working on any.
 
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

As corny as it sounds it would be my mom! For years and years she had often suggested, “why don’t you create your OWN comic? Why don’t you make your OWN toys? Why don’t you sell your OWN work, mijo? And after years of jumping from job to job, I gave it a shot not fully realizing it was really my mom speaking in the back of my head, “why not?” and “If not now, when?” My company may have started out as an impulse but the desire or support to get into it was there for a long time thanks to her.

Website: hiparcade.com

Instagram: @avedon_arcade, @hip_arcade

Image Credits
All photos and art created/shot by me.

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