Geneva Hopson

Tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do for IK?

My name is Geneva, and I’m the Customer Service and E-commerce Manager here at IK! I also take the occasional photo for our IG (usually with film!) and stories, as well as create the emailer (sign up here 😉) If you’ve ever had questions about your order, are trying to track down an item, or just want to say “hey”, you’ve probably emailed with me! When I’m not at the studio (read: hanging out with Breakfast), I’m usually in the city visiting museums/galleries, biking around Brooklyn, reading at the beach, or at my house in Bed-Stuy working on art!

Favorite neighborhood hang out spot?

Oh! So many! I live in Bed-Stuy, and about 2 years ago my favorite Brooklyn restaurant, Santa Panza, opened right next to my house! It’s the best spot for Italian style pizza and delicious wine, and a very lovely staff. Their veggie pizza is unreal and they surprised me with my favorite dessert when I went for my birthday! I also love Petra, which is a little walk away for natural wines and Mediterranean food. There’s an Artist and Craftsman on the way, so I usually stop by and pick up some art supplies before heading over and treating myself to dinner. I love the libraries in my neighborhood or the bike ride to the central branch at Prospect Park. There’s also a great used bookstore/bar nearby in Bushwick, Molasses, where I get a lot of books. This summer I've been biking to Prospect Park a lot for their free concerts. It's the perfect thing to do after a day at the beach!

Tell us about the bike you're rebuilding?

Not too much to tell so far! I had been wanting to build a bike for a while, but I really don't know much about bike building or even maintenance, so it's been an exciting project so far. One day when leaving the studio, IL, IK and I saw the perfect pink 1980’s mixte bike in the dumpster. They very kindly cheered me on while I pulled it out….Now I’m in the process of taking it apart, cleaning it, naming it (open to suggestions) and figuring out the next step! We have big plans though. I’m thinking it’ll make the perfect single speed, to wear with my Meri dresses, with a basket (that will hopefully fit a future puppy)... Luckily, my roommates are very patient about all the projects I do in our living room ranging from building this bike, potting (and repotting) our plants, and leaving my block prints out to dry.