Rising Sun & Co.

Seems like I have been on the road a bit lately. One thing that I am always looking for, especially in a place like Los Angeles are new shops to visit. Maybe you’re sensing a theme here? Maybe not. Well, a few weeks ago I found myself in a van driving around Los Angeles looking for a bike shop so that we could find some new cleats for our man who desperately needed his replaced. If you have ever waited too long to replace your cleats you know what I’m talking about (and who doesn’t wait until the last possible minute.)

Now, bike shops? That is another story entirely and it does not take much to coax me into a local bike shop anywhere. Except this time, because about a block before we landed at our bike shop Cole pointed out the right side of the van and said casually “There’s the Rising Sun Denim Company.” If you have not seen the first episode of Put This On, go and watch that right now. Jesse Thorn (the host of The Sound of Young America) also has a pretty damn cool fashunz website called Put This On and Rising Sun Denim Co. was the very first post of the site. So, naturally I was more than excited to check this place out, even if it meant not being able to check out a new bike shop.

As luck would have it, they were closed. We waited around for a little while, hoping they would be right back. They were not. So, after creeping out the locals by trying to take spy photos through the windows (it didn’t work very well.) We left with our tails between our legs, I mean, when am I going to be in Pasadena again?

We walked across the street back towards the bike shop and stopped outside what looked to be some new Vintage/Americana/Heritage shop, but was actually the Pasadena Fire Department. They invited us in for a look and this is what we saw and made us feel better about not seeing the interior of Rising Sun (which I’m betting they haven’t either.) Then they fulfilled Cole’s childhood dream of becoming a fireman by letting him sit in the driver seat. Apparently real Americana is the new Heritage. What?

But in all seriousness. Rising Sun looked pretty awesome from what I could see by cupping my face to the glass and the Fire Department? Well, they have a ping-pong table in the back, so they have to be cool. With that being said, if anyone has any interesting shops in the Portland area, that they would like to see reviewed here, let me know as I would love to check them out.

If you’re wondering who that handsome man that I travel with, that is Cole Maness, you probably saw him here on Selectism a few weeks back. We were riding around California for the Rapha Continental. This next week will see the launch of new photos and video from this very trip.