I started Good Things Vending in 2018 after years of working in what began to feel like increasingly serious roles in hospitality and non profit work. I am not a serious person, so I left to try and figure out what kind of work might make my not so serious life possible.

Growing up my family owned an antique auction company that specialized in toys and games and my mother was a working artist, basically I was born to mess around professionally. These family businesses put us in Japan for some crucial time in my early life where I found independence and, you guessed it, vending machines.

This love of art and nostalgia combined with the amazing movers shakers and makers I had met since moving to Chicago in 2008 had me dreaming of opening stores, starting collectives, organizing events, anything I could do to stay connected to the people who made the city vibrate. I worked a whole host of odd jobs and kept drawing and dreaming of building my own something.

Then it happened, the right set of google search terms and next thing I know there is an Automatic Products 4 wide snack vending machines headed my way. At the time I lived in a 3rd floor walk up in Logan Square and had no business buying a vending machine but the kind dudes @letherbee lent me some space and the rest is this, Good Things Vending.

Since then my world and the world have gone through some major changes but vending weird shit stays. Thanks for tagging along and watching me try and figure this all out of the fly. It’s been thrilling, vulnerable, connective and inspiring work. Hoping this is just the start.