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Monday, August 13, 2012
The Trendy Trailer by Longhorn Fashions
You have probably seen the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram updates since June, but in case you haven't, I will fill you in on the scoop!
The debut party is this Saturday from 7pm-close at The Foundry Bar in Dallas. After that you can find it at events in Austin and at Bevo Boulevard during most home games!
How it started...
Since the launch of Longhorn Fashions in August 2010, I knew I either wanted a physical location for the store or a boutique on wheels, so customers can try the apparel on and more importantly, because it would allow me to meet and interact with all the people that make Longhorn Fashions possible.
I started Longhorn Fashions with a very small loan, so I was not able to secure a location or trailer the first year, but I kept it on my goal list. Year one went pretty well and I was able to use the profit from that year to invest in more inventory for year two. Year two was a little bit stronger and late spring I took advantage of the fact that I had a day job and used my second paycheck for new, high quality inventory, including my favorite polka dot burnt orange dresses by THML. I researched the hottest brands (that were still priced under $100) and set up meetings with local designers. The hard work began to pay off and sales started picking up (wahooo!). It was finally time to buy the trailer!
I created an alert for a trailer that was in my budget and checked all of the various Craigslists in Texas almost every day, until I finally found one in my price range. I went to look at a few in person, but knew I needed to be really picky. I met with the owner of the one that I decided on twice (both times he didn't have on a shirt or shoes, but I knew he was the nicest hippie ever and I oddly really trusted him). This one was perfect for me because is 19ft (all the other ones I looked at were 30+ ft), it is a single axle and it was already gutted. Being picky paid off!
The night I bought the Airstream..
This night was definitely one of the best of my life because I knew I was about to reach my main goal for the store, an actual location (on wheels!) where I can interact with my customers face to face. The guy, Matt, that sold the Airstream to me was just trying to find a way to Costa Rica and he was so excited to sell it to someone that had big dreams for it. We snapped this picture together after we traded the money order for the title, check out the huge smiles on our face! PS. That is Matt's version of the hook 'em.
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Longhorn Fashions is opening a boutique on wheels called The Trendy Trailer!
The debut party is this Saturday from 7pm-close at The Foundry Bar in Dallas. After that you can find it at events in Austin and at Bevo Boulevard during most home games!
How it started...
Since the launch of Longhorn Fashions in August 2010, I knew I either wanted a physical location for the store or a boutique on wheels, so customers can try the apparel on and more importantly, because it would allow me to meet and interact with all the people that make Longhorn Fashions possible.
I started Longhorn Fashions with a very small loan, so I was not able to secure a location or trailer the first year, but I kept it on my goal list. Year one went pretty well and I was able to use the profit from that year to invest in more inventory for year two. Year two was a little bit stronger and late spring I took advantage of the fact that I had a day job and used my second paycheck for new, high quality inventory, including my favorite polka dot burnt orange dresses by THML. I researched the hottest brands (that were still priced under $100) and set up meetings with local designers. The hard work began to pay off and sales started picking up (wahooo!). It was finally time to buy the trailer!
I created an alert for a trailer that was in my budget and checked all of the various Craigslists in Texas almost every day, until I finally found one in my price range. I went to look at a few in person, but knew I needed to be really picky. I met with the owner of the one that I decided on twice (both times he didn't have on a shirt or shoes, but I knew he was the nicest hippie ever and I oddly really trusted him). This one was perfect for me because is 19ft (all the other ones I looked at were 30+ ft), it is a single axle and it was already gutted. Being picky paid off!
The night I bought the Airstream..
This night was definitely one of the best of my life because I knew I was about to reach my main goal for the store, an actual location (on wheels!) where I can interact with my customers face to face. The guy, Matt, that sold the Airstream to me was just trying to find a way to Costa Rica and he was so excited to sell it to someone that had big dreams for it. We snapped this picture together after we traded the money order for the title, check out the huge smiles on our face! PS. That is Matt's version of the hook 'em.
We drove it home and put it in our driveway, hoping to only have it there for the weekend while we cleaned and painted it. Little did we realize, we had A LOT of work ahead.
The first weekend that I worked on it...
The first weekend was when I really realized how much there was to do. I also realized pretty quickly that the AC didn't work as promised. On day 1 we emptied the inside, scrubbed the walls, patched up the holes and applied the first coat of paint. The picture below is how it looked at the beginning of day 1.
Below is a picture of me scrubbing the walls (don't mind the sweat, it was 102!).
We used the square metal patches pictured below and applied dry wall over them.
I used a turquoise color for the paint because I love pairing turquoise with burnt orange and I wanted to use a color that would make the clothing pop. I figured burnt orange on burnt orange was a little much! Another nice thing about this color is that is was close to the blue that was already on some parts of the wall, so it was easy to cover that color up.
Spent most of Saturday and Sunday painting and by the end of the first weekend, the walls were pretty much complete!
Below is the collage I made after day 1.
The second weekend of work..
I focused on the floor during the second weekend. I picked a grey color for the floor because it is easier to clean than white and is a neutral color. I debated stenciling the floor, but ultimately decided it would be too much. The first step was to scrub and prime the floor.
After that it was time to paint!
I was pretty happy with the way that the turquoise wall color and grey floor color complemented each other.
Below is a collage of before, after weekend 1 and after weekend 2.
Weekend 3: making the dressing room, wardrobe racks & more!
I created a dressing room with curtains (I actually used shower curtains instead of regular curtains because they are a little bit thicker) that I found at Target and a nifty hanging device from Ikea. After that I decided to make wardrobe racks out of steel pipe (thank you Pinterest for the idea!) because I wanted something that was sturdy and could be secured to the ground. I think the steel goes along with the industrial look of the Airstream.
I chose white for the window curtains because I was nervous about mixing in another color and I think white makes it look clean.
We also had to find a solution for the holes in the ceiling. We ended up using an AC cover after searching Home Depot for options.
Weekend 4...time to decorate!
Picking out the decorations was my favorite part! I got most of the furniture at Marshalls and most of the decor off Etsy, Target or DIY. The lamps below were only $20 at Marshalls!
I found this turquoise mirror at TJ Maxx, perfect for the dressing room!
The chevron ottomans, side tables and picture frames are also all from Marshalls/TJ Maxx!
The necklace display case is perfect for the Texas and Longhorn necklaces! I really love the girly earring holder that I found at...guess where?! Marshalls.
The necklace holders below are all from The Door Stop on Etsy! The seahorse is my favorite (side note: did you know that seahorses hook tails and dance around the ocean together when they are in love? SO cute.)!
Here is me with some of the inventory that fills the trailer.
Some before and after photos..
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And some photos from the first event..
I can't wait for you all to see the finished trailer this Saturday in Dallas at The Foundry Bar! There will be music, drinks, chicken and more. You can shop the new arrivals or just stop in to say hi! Thank you for all of the support through this adventure!
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