Media/Press
Arkansas Business | August 3, 2026
Rising Canes: Alan Crancer Solves One of the Walking Cane User’s Oldest Problems
by Kyle Massey | August 3, 2026 | 4 min read
The origin story of the Original Pop-Up Cane, a unique mobility aid that Arkansas entrepreneur Alan Crancer brought to market in July, is actually his father’s tale to tell.
It begins in the Ecuadorian jungle, and ends at his son’s fingertips (and dropped at his feet) at Pick Up the Pace LLC in Little Rock. Along the way, there were stops at the Innovation Center in North Little Rock, Little Rock’s law school and a Chinese manufacturer, IWon International of Nanjing.
“My father, Al Crancer Jr., was in Ecuador on vacation,” Alan Crancer said in a telephone interview. “This is his story, and he’s dead, so we can’t refute it.”
Crancer, who conceded his father was “a little eccentric,” said his dad walked into the light of a clearing in the rainforest canopy and stepped on a tree limb shimmering in the sun. “It popped up, and he said, ‘That’s a cane, a perfect walking cane.’”
He brought it back to the United States and showed it to his son, setting off five years of research and development and eventually a manufacturing process that produced a cane with a handy advantage if it’s ever dropped.
By simply stepping on an extension of the cane’s handle, users can propel the end of the cane up into their waiting hands. No more potentially hazardous stooping or bending over.
“My dad and I worked on it for a couple years, and then I built a prototype with the Innovation Center in North Little Rock,” Crancer said.
“Then the Bowen School of Law contacted the Innovation Center and said, ‘Do you have anything that might need a patent?’” The reply was yes, and the patent for the cane’s retrieval mechanism was granted in 2019.
But when Al Crancer Jr. died soon afterward, development paused.
Contacts in China
Then, about a year ago, Crancer got encouragement from another Little Rock entrepreneur, Billy Pennington, president of PS Products Inc. of Little Rock. Pennington and his partner, Eric Baker, sell patented canes equipped with stun guns, as well as a hiking stick called the Hike & Strike, which can repel wild animals with electric sound and fury.
Pennington introduced Crancer to his manufacturing partners in China, including some he’s done business with for three decades.
In a telephone interview, Pennington said manufacturing is much cheaper in China than in the United States. “I mean, a mold over there costs probably $4,000,” he said. “Here it would have probably been $15,000 or $20,000. Those kinds of numbers can change people’s minds pretty quick, as long as you have a factory that’s dependable and of good quality.”
IWon International built an injection mold for Crancer’s cane, then produced an initial order of the Original Pop-Up Cane. They’re for sale online now at popupcane.com. Suggested retail price, $49.95. Patent pending.
After the death of his father, Alan Crancer spent five years working on the Original Pop-Up Cane. (Steve Lewis)
Crancer is self-financing the cane project and has no outside investors, at least for now.
“I want to run it and I want to own it for as long as I can until it scales up past my comfort level,” he said. He envisions a hybrid approach to distribution and growth, with direct sales through his company’s website eventually supplemented by sales via online marketplaces and relationships with distributors. He plans to scale up cautiously and sell out only if a stunning offer emerges.
Predicting Success
Pennington, long experienced in inventing and developing specialty canes and other items like clocks with secret compartments for hiding valuables and firearms, expects Crancer’s idea to be a success.
“I do think it will be,” he said. “We’ve had several meetings here lately, and the first shipment finally got here last week. I’ve got a company called Fashionable Canes that buys from me, and they’re definitely interested, and they’re one of the biggest cane sellers on the internet, and they’re looking to pick it up.”
Crancer, who worked on the project with Little Rock patent attorney Chris Stewart, said to see his product is to believe in it. “Now we’ve got some real samples, and everybody that’s looked at it scratches their head and goes, ‘Why hasn’t anybody invented that before?’”
Marketing tests in senior-rich environments like The Villages, Florida, proved quite encouraging, Crancer said.
“The response, at least so far, has been outstanding,” he said. “I’ve had several people tell me that they want one as soon as they arrive.” Crancer is hoping for $500,000 in sales by the end of the year.
“Its a unique product, and we have found that people that use canes usually have more than one,” he said. “We think a lot of people will want to have this one in their collection, and because we put a red handle on it, it really pops out.”
And pops up
Press Release | August 18, 2026
PopUpCane.com Signs Two National Distributors for the PopUp Cane
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – August 18, 2026 – Pick Up the Pace / PopUpCane.com today announced the signing of two national distributors for its innovative PopUp Cane.
The new distribution partners are:
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FashionableCanes.com, a leading national online retailer specializing in walking canes, and
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PS Products, a national online retailer of personal security products, including the popular “taser walking stick.”
These two channels will significantly expand the availability of the PopUp Cane through established e-commerce channels that serve customers seeking mobility aids and personal security solutions.
“We are excited to partner with FashionableCanes.com and PS Products,” said Alan Crancer, Pick Up the Pace founder. Both companies bring strong national reach and expertise in their respective categories, helping more people discover the convenience and versatility of the PopUp Cane.”
The PopUp Cane is a patented walking cane/mobility product that will “pop up in your hand when you step on the handle.” With these new distribution relationships, the product will be offered alongside complementary cane and personal-security items on two well-established online platforms.
Press Release | August 31, 2026
PopUp Cane Now Available at Remedy Drug in Little Rock
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — August 31, 2026 — Pick Up the Pace, LLC, the company behind PopUpCane.com, today announced that its PopUp Cane is now in stock at Remedy Drug, the independently owned pharmacy at 8511 W. Markham St. in Little Rock.
The PopUp Cane is designed so users do not have to bend to retrieve it. Stepping on the handle causes the cane to rise into the hand. It features a lightweight aluminum shaft, an ergonomic grip, and built-in stabilizers.
Remedy Drug, located west of the Rodney Parham/Markham intersection next to the post office, is open Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. The pharmacy can be reached at (501) 313-4480 or remedydrugrx.com.
The PopUp Cane is also available online at PopUpCane.com.
About Pick Up the Pace, LLC
Pick Up the Pace, LLC, based in Little Rock, markets patented mobility products, including the PopUp Cane.
Press Release | September 11, 2026
The Original PopUp Cane Now Available on Amazon
Arkansas-made mobility aid that “picks itself up” expands nationwide through Amazon
LITTLE ROCK, AR: 9/11/2026— Pick Up the Pace, LLC today announced that the Original PopUp Cane is now available for purchase on Amazon, in addition to the company’s website at www.popupcane.com and select Little Rock retail locations. Customers across the United States can now order the patented-pending walking cane with Prime shipping and nationwide delivery.
The PopUp Cane solves one of the oldest problems in mobility aids: a dropped cane that forces the user to bend, stoop, or risk a fall. Instead of reaching to the floor, the user simply steps on a foot-activated leverage protrusion near the handle.
About Pick Up the Pace, LLC
Pick Up the Pace, LLC, based in Little Rock, Arkansas, develops and markets practical, patented products that help people stay independent. The company’s flagship product is the Original PopUp Cane. Learn more at www.popupcane.com
Media Contact and Product Photos, Video, or Interview Requests
Pick Up the Pace, LLC
Alan Crancer
601.594.8015
acrancer@gmail.com