Here’s a video of the Spiritex solar-powered T-shirt cart, which can be found on the corner of Patton and Biltmore avenues in downtown Asheville. Spiritex sells locally made, organic T-shirts, and the cart is out on weekends, Mondays, and other select dates.
Conceived and designed by Spiritex employee Derek Sanders, the cart sports a rooftop solar setup that charges a battery for powering its evening lights and a small fan that keeps staff cool during the day. The system also powers a charging station for the iPhone-based device that lets customers swipe their debit and credit cards to buy Spiritex products.
The custom-built cart also is composed of more than 60 percent recycled and salvaged materials, most of which came from the Trash Inc. Creative Reuse Center at 95 Thompson St. Trash Inc. takes materials that would have otherwise found their way to the landfill and sells them to people looking for “found” materials to use in art, education, craft and DIY projects. The Spiritex cart features wheels that once spun on a mountain bike and aluminum siding and shelving all once destined for the trash bin.
The cart was built by Alex Kramer, owner of Full Circle Design-Build in Green Mountain.
Music: Blind Boy Chocolate and the Milk Sheiks via Busk Break.
Why is this tee shirt cart allowed downtown? Is it not competing with established downtown brick and mortar tee-shirt sellers?
A tee shirt cart! Why, it’s just coming in and taking advantage of the scene created by all the previously existing, real brick and morter tee shirt shoppes!