FLASHY vintage caravans are blooming in the small business world.
Would-be entrepreneurs are snapping up the old ladies from yesteryear and
transforming them into all manner of mobile businesses.
Take Queenslander Cherie Zimmerle, for instance.
She has a 1968 Franklin Caravelle caravan which acts a mobile florist
store at festivals, markets and other events around the Sunshine State.
"I bought the caravan privately through an ad I saw in the newspaper,"
Cherie told Caravanning News.
"I was searching for a vintage 'van that would become my mobile florist
business, The Flower Grocer.
"When I saw the Franklin it was love at first sight. It was in fairly good
condition so most of the changes I made were cosmetic."
The caravan has been transformed with a professional paint job inside and
out and is now her "shop front".
"But I was very careful not to change too much of the internal footprint
and original features," Cherie said.
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Cherie ... loves all things
vintage |
She explained that she had a love of all things vintage so it was
important for her to retain all the features of the caravan.
"It also allows my customers to take a trip down memory lane," she said.
"People love my 'van and I could have sold it a hundred times!"
It has refrigeration for the flowers and plenty of room for Cherie's wares,
and with removable branding and vintage fixtures it means her family can
still take holidays in it.
"We kept the bed and kitchen facilities, which we cleverly disguise during
business hours," Cherie explained.
"Other campers love it! We always draw a crowd when we are camping ...
it's a great ice breaker when meeting other holidaymakers."
Meanwhile, teacher Alicia Finch and her family from Ipswich in Queensland
are the proud owners of an original 1952 homemade bondwood caravan
which has been turned into a mobile photo booth.
Christened Mavis, the mint-coloured caravan is now a regular feature at
weddings, corporate functions, festivals and other events in south-east
Queensland.
Alicia and partner Joe snapped up the 3m vintage caravan for $4500 after
spotting it on Gumtree and immediately set about turning their dream into
reality.
It is now the heart of the couple's business which they called Frankie
and Mavis.
"We had made some near purchases/disasters but we started to get more
informed by watching and reading online caravan forums on what to look out
for when buying old 'vans," Alicia said.
"It was obvious she needed some work but the structure and chassis looked
solid and it was love at first sight."
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Alicia and Joe with son
Frankie |
She and Joe did most of the restoration while her father helped with the
painstaking process of removing all the original screws from the original
bondwood sheets, which had suffered water damage and needed replacing.
Friends did other necessary work.
Previous travellers, the couple wanted to create a business that would
retain their sense of adventure and would be family friendly.
"It was always important that our business would value our time as a
family," Alicia explained.
"We now travel and set up together and have made Mavis completely
automatic so she runs herself.
"Also, in choosing a vintage 'van the plan was to keep it in its original
state and build the photo booth into a pre-existing cupboard, which we
did.
"So at the end of the day, we still have a fully functioning sleeping
vintage caravan and have had some fun utilising it on a couple of
trips."
She said her family, including young son Frankie, had put its heart and
soul into Mavis.
"I think that's why everyone adores her at functions. You can feel and see
the history of the 'van.
"But teamed with the clean and modern interior, Mavis fits in perfectly at
weddings and events as well.
"She is absolutely loving her new lease in life. There's plenty of upkeep
but when your office is as pretty as her, I consider myself very lucky."
The Flower Grocer:
www.theflowergrocer.com.au
Frankie and Mavis:
www.frankieandmavis.com
