Kim Schindler did not plan to become a local TikTok personality. The Levittown shop owner originally started posting videos to show people that the Tri-County Bazaar was still open.
Now, many visitors recognize her before they even reach her store.
Schindler owns KST Music inside the longtime indoor market. The shop sells replica guitars and other music memorabilia. Over the past year and a half, Schindler has also become known for the TikTok videos she films around the bazaar featuring shoppers and fellow vendors.
Her TikTok account, @tiktoktricounty, has grown to nearly 19,000 followers with more than 685,000 total likes. One video posted last year has reached almost 3 million views.
@tiktoktricounty #hempsteadturnpike #levittown #newyork #tricounty ##jewelry #jewelryexchange ♬ original sound – TriCounty
The videos started after Schindler repeatedly heard people say they thought Tri-County had shut down.
“I kept hearing people say ‘I used to shop at Tri-County,’ or ‘I thought Tri-County was closed,’ but now we’ve got the word out,” Schindler said. “I get people that have never shopped at Tri-County coming in to say hi to me and shop. It has been amazing.”
Her first video was straightforward. Standing outside the building, Schindler recorded a short clip explaining what the Tri-County Bazaar was while showing viewers the entrance.
“My first video was outside of Tri-County, just showing people what it actually was,” Schindler said. “After that, every week I started to post videos meeting new people, talking to new vendors, and trying to build us up.”
What began as a simple way to promote the market gradually drew more viewers. As the videos spread online, more people began visiting the bazaar after seeing her posts.
“After a few months, it just kept growing,” Schindler said. “More people wanted to meet me and talk to me.”
Many of Schindler’s videos show everyday interactions inside the market. Some feature conversations with visitors, while others introduce different vendors and their businesses.
“We have a good time just meeting new people, finding out what they want to shop for, what they want to do, and getting more people to come in,” Schindler said.
Inside her shop, Schindler focuses on replica instruments connected to famous musicians across several genres. The guitars and other items are modeled after instruments used by well-known artists.
“I sell replica musical instruments,” Schindler said. “From The Beatles, to Elvis, to Jimi Hendrix. We have heavy metal guitars, country ones, really any genre’s instrument is here.”
The replicas are produced through agreements, she said, so the instruments match the originals.
“We get a contract from each artist, their estate, or publishing company, and create the replica based on that,” Schindler said. “They are all completely accurate and legal.”
Schindler’s path to opening her store at the Tri-County Bazaar came after an unexpected change in her career. She previously worked for a company that sold full-sized instruments and recording equipment before the business relocated to Florida.
“I opened the store here about three years ago,” Schindler said. “Before that, I was at the Broadway Commons Mall for a couple of years, and I lost my job with another company when they moved to Florida. I was barely in business six months when Covid-19 happened. It has been a crazy few years for me trying to establish my business and bring it back up again.”
Her videos, which she has used to promote herself and others, often capture the atmosphere of the bazaar, including spontaneous moments with other vendors. In one recent clip, Schindler and a jeweler decided to film a quick dance inside her shop.
@tiktoktricounty #bigguy#tricounty #fyp #kstmusic #foryoupage ♬ Big Guy – from “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants” – Ice Spice
“I did one just the other day. It was me and one of the jewelers from upstairs. He came down to my store and we decided to do an impromptu dance. We were just dancing, and that already has 15,000 views from Friday night. Just us being silly and having a good time,” Schindler said.
As her online following has grown, Schindler said people have started recognizing her outside the market as well.
“I get recognized even when I am going out to eat,” Schindler said. “I have been recognized at the mall, Target, everywhere. I did a video last week at Applebee’s with a man who just wandered up and said ‘You’re the TikTok lady!’ Actually, that has happened like four times, at Applebees specifically.”
She said the sense of community among vendors is part of what makes the bazaar unique. Shop owners often watch each other’s stores and appear in her videos together.
“The people are so nice. The other vendors and I really watch out for each other. If I say to my friend Miriam next door, ‘Can you watch my store?’ She will. She helps me with making videos too. My friend Anthony across from me will watch my store as well. I watch out for him. Everyone gets to know each other. There are people from all over the world that have a store here.”
For Schindler, the goal of the videos remains the same as when she first started posting them. She wants people to see that the Tri-County Bazaar is still active and worth visiting.
“We’re here. Come to Tri-County. My store is one of a kind on Long Island. Don’t just shop online, shop in person and get to know people here on Long Island.”
