the goal was to shake the glass quarter
out of your pocket that's always but
I'll go I was the king of the hump day
every I had 1500 machines and every
single machine on the top but every big
machine that held the big two-inch
capsule we had always in the first year
we grossed a million dollars the first
year I was in business yeah it was crazy
it was like printing money I mean it was
it was really unbelievable every
store down both sides of the street had
machines out in front of it it was like
unbelievable and everybody had the
homeys and the kids be running from
machine to machine to machine to machine
the segment was absolutely insane it was
really unbelievable really was
unbelievable man we made so much fun
all right so my name is Bradley Ellison
I'm Sugarman people say sugar man or
sugar daddies and started our company in
96 and it's been 18 years it's been a
lot of ups and downs and we've been
picking the pockets of little children
across the city for last 18 years this
was the most popular vending toy that we
ever had in the history of my business
the history of my business from the
inception of the vending until now the
home is was the most popular things the
original homies is uh is an ethnic thing
it's a it's like a barrio thing in LA
you know what I mean it's how the
Mexicans look in LA the Mexican
Americans look in LA and that was the
take on us in the Mexican American by
name of Danny Gonzales invented this in
a drawing and then they made stickers
that didn't really sell too well and
then he made a series of homies for the
capsules that sold really well on the
west coast but you know they couldn't
someone the East Coast and they were 50
cent toy so it was the first our first
adventure from a quarter into 50 cents
you know because we sell everything for
a quarter nine eight years ago we did a
we're a $70,000 a month I mean that was
like but that was like you know we won't
like running on all cylinders you know
and then we paid it all in bills it
wasn't like we you know III would sit
there with mountains of quarters like I
was King Midas and then I would
watch them all go out to pay the bills
so us this is gonna be a guy
calling for a bill I can't say it
outright
hello hi gladly
yes it's Jackie from off guard I tell
you I'm gonna be sending you a check at
the end of the week okay okay yeah I'm
gonna I'm gonna muster it together and
send it to you okay
tell Scott tell Myrna tell Mona I'm
sorry you know I mean it's just been a
real hustle out here so uh I'll get that
check to it for the product okay okay
all right my darling
okay oh I love tada
I'm trying I'm trying all right tell
minor I said hey tell rush I should hate
you okay all right love bye bye Hey
one of my distributors I told her I
broke my leg you gotta tell people
because you know what I mean I'm trying
to paint the dusties send me a load of
stuff that didn't sell show me look you
know they I bought this blood and
capsule I thought it was gonna be great
for Halloween to show y'all the way over
the money for and what it did it wasn't
any good you go downstairs now you wanna
see some of my stuff yeah see these are
all the pots in here with all the parts
for the machines all right they're
everywhere see these are all my vending
machines this what's left of my vending
machines over here we got them
everywhere but these were all not all
the parts for the machines locks all
that stuff these are all you know these
are all different machines that I had at
one time I had I had about 50 shelves
like this three high full with stuff in
my warehouse
so no there's my huh a little sugar
daddy's book there's where I first
started in business this was an article
they did on a really big guy and me cuz
I was a street operator then this comedy
Street operator so that was cool
these are all little pictures this look
of my backyard packed with vending
machines so this is the remnants of
what's left of my empire you know what I
mean
I know I got him somewhere cuz I would
never start him away summer winter
that's not it already grabbed these toys
that does say right on the top
box Bradley they don't got no I
see what fooled me was that was the
Christmas decoration there we go here we
go here we go
they're all in here no I knew that we
can't move it over there there were
everywhere everywhere you looked you'd
see homies and when I read the article
in New York Times
I left the guy was getting a haircut I
read the article I said this is the
beginning in the end when the New York
Times reporting on the homies it's the
beginning of the end but it was like a
phenomena was I just urban like the time
said it
I had the article said this the urban
phenomenon known as the as the homies
you know I mean that was the pinnacle of
everybody's career the homey angle like
its deliver everything I got the
homey and all they'd be like I know man
I know I can't sell anything and you'd
be like had that figurine dude sucks had
every socks you really mean is
everything soft after actors like you
were used to making so much money that
you didn't want to make hundreds I mean
like go to machine only hundreds in
Michigan you know I mean it's like today
I'd be like Oh give me a hundred bucks
machine you know it's funny
I collect on a need basis if I need the
money I go collect you know today I need
the money
we have a lot of fun you know it was
like you know I was like a giant kid now
it's like more of a necessity for me to
do the machines where before was a labor
of love like I love that I love to do
the machines I loved it funny how things
change you know why am i running a blank
no no I don't even know the address
I don't know addresses I just you know I
know exactly where I'm going I know
exactly I'm going just I do a blank on
how to get there
Oh easy killer with the School
Bus you jerk-off hello alright I'm just
drawing a blank on how to get to where I
gotta go I just must be able to brain
fog I need some poison
what's up bro this is like glue this
stuff in the machine I can't even get it
out I'm making no money that's what's
going on there was a time there was a
time this machine forget about it when
the movies were hot over here we do a
killing
unbelievable it's like taking money out
of a dead man's pocket over here
$33 and that's it that's all we got and
that's what we're gonna have to do $12
for my guy okay
brought $12 all right listen
there was 33,000 there oh my god oh I
gave you 12 out of 33 brother listen to
me that's all for better times the next
time we come yeah man sucks
one two three four five finalists for
the house probably $25 altogether sorry
that's all there is moe
thanks Louie man I love your brothers
the slicer light bro all right be good
man
they gotta find my wrong what
they doing that Rolla gotta roll the
shekels up now
I was wrong there was 26 25 was closed
all right I know I can look at the money
in time looking at quarters for
ever you know what I mean
such is the life of the vending
machine guy you ready to roll
let's go I really needed that where else
do I got a really time out in mind I
really needed that money I really need
that for my Verizon dollars if I don't
they're gonna cut me off before 6
o'clock tonight so
and I said by the time I finished
playing on my all the money I had
borrowed the business had time so it's a
it's a you know what's tough it was
tough but you know I'll do hey you know
it's getting harder and harder you know
but I'll survive him you know we survive
you know there's always somebody let me
put a machine in this store there's
always people who won't throw me out you
know you know it's a hustle you know but
at me know III shake III kicked I've
been taking people's pockets the money
my whole life so it's not a better issue
for me mmm in New York the man you know
- the day I die and you know there's no
way I'm not gonna make money you know
it's not this so I'll think of something
else you don't I mean
busted the glass in the front an
eraser that's all that's left
countless
see that's what I'm talking racing
somebody break the glass
they bender machine out they
break the rod this is I just
something I'm so disgusted sometimes
with this let's go
the remnants of my empire my homie
Empire