In 2015 I had started to come up with the concept of food stand for the mall with the focus being on slushies. I wanted to combine geek culture and junk food basically where the carnival meets the convention. I had planned on launching a gofundme campaign to help get me started and I thought the idea would be welcomed with open arms by the fandom I was a part of. I didn’t even land one donation and barely even a retweet. It was then that I realized how little I mattered. Even with all the shout outs I would give on Sundays, the sharing and donating I’ve done of other campaigns. I didn’t exist. The Polar Vortex died before it could be born.
While I might have buried the idea of opening a stand at the mall I still kept thinking about the Polar Vortex and I knew that someday that I would see it come to reality. When I started dating my girlfriend we liked the idea of starting up a food truck. We talked about the menu and so on. Though as the weather got warmer here and I started to remember that the ice cream man is no longer around Stony Point. When I lived in Nanuet for 10 years seeing him around there was quite rare as well. I started to bounce around the idea of getting an ice truck, time to give the Polar Vortex some wheels. Even though most of what the truck was selling could have been bought at the store when the ice cream truck came rolling around the corner or up the hill it was an event. The guy that drove the truck from childhood fit the stereotype of being both cranky and creepy. You better have had your money ready before he got there otherwise he would drive off while you would try to find some change or beg your mom for money.
Now is the time for me to start taking steps to get the Polar Vortex on the road. Getting glasses and my learner’s permit so I can start driving again might be the first couple of steps to get rolling. I’m starting to do research on the business and the equipment needed. The truck is going to be the most expensive part of the business but considering what I would have paid for rent at the mall it is way cheaper. The labor costs will also be less because I get to set the hours. The mall mandates that you have to be open at a certain time and for a certain length even though you might not draw a dime for hours. Flexibility is big for me and running a truck I think will provide that.