In late March, we were faced with the upset of closing down our shipping container shop at Broadway News due to some issues with the city (see Rivard Report Article for more details), we found the silver lining that this would push us in the direction we ultimately dreamed about--a mobile storefront inside a vintage trailer. This came at a busy time for us as we had planned to elope in Iceland the following week and would be out of the country for 12 days. We scrambled to break everything down to empty our shipping container all while scouring the internet to find our dream trailer and packing and prepping to leave the country. We bought our trailer a few days before we left and began renovating it as soon as we returned.
We bought a trailer we weren't sure was going to roll off the lot that it was parked. The tires were completely shredded, the trailer had been sitting on just its rims for over a decade, and the utility of the axels were a gamble. Colin and his friend, Jason, spent an entire day digging the wheels out(and dodging black widows) to replace them by hand because no electricity was available on the lot. Once they got the new wheels installed came the real moment of truth. Would the axels work or would it need to be towed? Jason got into his truck while Colin stayed outside to see if the trailer would roll. Slowly he increased his pressure on the gas pedal feeling his truck ease forward but unsure if it was dragging or pulling the trailer. SUCCESS! IT ROLLED! Now they just had to get it 50 miles north to where the trailer would be parked for renovations for the next few months.
original interior
gutted interior
once they got the trailer out to bergheim, where it would stay for the duration of the renovation, Colin began to imagine the design for the interior of our store. the trailer was in very poor condition and still had all its original furnishings and decor. the next step was to demolish and remove the original interior.
after we got the trailer down to its bare bones came the fun and tedious part. with Limited electricity and no a/c we worked every Day to make our dream trailer a reality. sawing, measuring, re-measuring and drilling became our everyday lives. thank you so much to all of our friends that allowed us to borrow tools, trucks, and endless helping hands. we wouldn't have been able to do it without y'all!
because we are a shop that promotes recycling and finding newness and nostalgia in the old, we wanted to be creative and thoughtful in how we sourced our supplies for the renovation. our hardwood flooring and framing was once the insulated display wall from our former shipping container, we created insulation packs with recycled clothing scraps, we kept the original cabinetry on the endcaps of the trailer, our galvanized pipe racks are also reused from the shipping container, our custom built reading nook/meditation area is upholstered with vintage fabric, and any paint for the exterior is recycled. to take it to the next level, our in-house, locally made soy candles will soon be made with recycled materials!
colin & klug building shipping container wall dec 2016
Colin laying the recycled wood flooring in the trailer
after four very hot months of hard work and imagination(and heat stroke) we were excited to be able to pull our trailer back to its new home at broadway news! While our shop will always be a work in progress we are FINALLY up and running. come see it for yourself in person at 2202 Broadway! we are officially open for business Tuesday-saturday 11am-5pm and Sunday 10am-2pm. celebrate our grand re-opening on Sunday, august 6 from 10am-3pm.
interior of grey moon vintage's 1969 avion travelcade
eclectic vintage bookshelf
our vintage trailer at broadway news
2202 Broadway, satx, 78215