#lodekka

Apparently, there are some amazing mobile boutiques over in Portland, Oregon and Nashville, Tennessee. These are old trailers and a double decker bus that have been converted into clothing boutiques.

We are doing a special post today with guest writer Spencer Foxworth and Erin Sutherland of Lodekka. We thought it would be really neat to have our friend who is a great writer interview Erin. She doesn't have a food cart, but she has a vintage store on wheels, so we thought it would be really cool to feature as well.

How'd you start Lodekka?

The bus is an original British Bristol Lodekka from Liverpool from 1965. It sat on a used car lot for an entire year. There were two serious buyers that whole time. 

The original idea came from food carts. I knew I was going to lose my job, so I started looking at decommissioned food carts all over the city. You know, when you realize you could lose everything, you get really creative: First I looked at food carts, but they were too small, so I started looking at old school buses. I fell in love with one from the '30s on Craigslist, but that was too small; you couldn't stand up inside it. Then I found this double-decker bus one day on Craigslist, down in Eugene. 

So I called and made the drive. When I got there, there were these two other guys checking it out. But I'd called first, so I got it. They ended up starting doubledeckerpdx.com, and they're awesome.

Between then and when I opened were the most harrowing six months of my life. I spent it covered in paint, wearing sweats, sweaty and disgusting for six months. All I did was work on this bus, all day long. I would get so covered in sweat and dirt, wearing a hazmat suit, gutting this thing. There was asbestos flying everywhere. Everything about it was hard. I had to move it. I had to paint it. I had to replace the window seals. And then I looked underneath: Wooden floors!

By the end, I was so entirely exhausted. I had minor panic attacks--waking up, wondering "What am I doing?" On top of all that, I was gathering inventory. I spent all my savings. I used up all my unemployment checks. And I was building the website, writing and sending out press releases, updating the rebuilding daily on Facebook. 

Whew.

Yeah, it's a personality trait. It's like, I had to get it open ASAP. Why didn't I wait and open in the summer? I could've had a vacation.

You know, though, I was seeing all these other mobile businesses open. The food cart scene was exploding. I had to do it. When I opened, so many people said, "I can't believe it! I totally had this idea!" I would just smile and think, “You had an idea? Really?” The project was so much work that I quickly realized I didn’t need to feel intimidated by other people's ideas. 

How do you source your stuff? 

All thrift stores. In the summer, I'll go to some estate sales, but it's pretty much all thrift stores, because I focus on wearable items and not high-end couture items. A lot of times, I just go with my gut. Like "I haven't been to that store in ages," and I score, totally based on instinct. 

I always leave Portland. I’ll hit five towns in two days and spend the night. If I buy it cheaper out there, I can keep prices down for customers. 

Lodekka appeared in The New York Times, Cool Hunting, NPR, Sunset and several Japanese magazines, to name a few. How does this attention affect the way you work? 

It hasn't changed how I select my stuff, because I buy stuff based on what sells. When people do stories about the bus, it's about the bus or me. It's never about the inventory. 

I actually am glad they don't. I don't want to give the impression that I'm a high-fashion, trendsetting place. I equate the bus to a neighborhood pub. I have families and friends who stop in weekly. Their three-year-old drags them in. Their dog jumps in because it knows I have treats. It's such an honor to be on Cool Hunting. But I just want to bring my friends and neighbors what they're looking for. I ask all the time, what do you want? I observe all the time--what are people wearing? 

Portland's an anomaly. Some people think the fashion trends here are groundbreaking. Some people think our style is awful. But I feel like I get it. I know what I should buy. I can do it fast now. My instincts are honed. I can go through a thrift store quickly and say "Yes" or "Not quite." 

One thing a lot of people don't know is that my 67-year old mom does a lot of shopping for me. She's got great style and an amazing eye. She brings things to me--she's like, "This one's iffy." That's her word for something that may or may not qualify as “hip.” She's got the so-ugly-it’s-cool concept down. 

If you have a chance, go visit Erin and her super cool bus! You won't be disappointed. 

north williams & failing