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04-15-2019, 06:38 PM
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#1
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New Member
Bro St
, Ohio
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 2
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Airstream as coffee shop?
Hi all-first time poster here. I have searched the forums, and read though the threads regarding food truck conversions. I have a modified version of that question with enough of a divergence from the standard "can I convert to food truck?" to warrant a thread. (I think!)
I am considering converting an Airstream to be run as a coffee house/satellite office space in the summers. Two things that make it non-standard:
1-It would live on a lot that I own. Essentially, it could be only quasi-mobile and not hinder it's usage.
2-It would be gutted. I wouldn't care about the condition of the interior; I'd want to strip it down to as close to a box as possible.
It would also be parked within 30 ft of a building I own, with electric/water. My neighbor is a propane retailer.
The only criteria I'd need to meet is A)water tight, or can live outside year-round without leaking, and B) ideally have an internal clear height of 7'. People won't want to use this if they can't at least stand up in it.
I have no idea if this would work or not, thus I figured I'd ask here. All feedback is welcome!!
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04-15-2019, 06:57 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
2004 28' Classic
Monument
, Colorado
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,566
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All entirely feasible depending on the amount of money you want to spend. What size trailer would you buy (probably at least 30 feet) and how much $s to renovate it?
__________________
DaveP
2004 Airstream Classic 28 "Willard"
2023 Ram 3500 4x4
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04-15-2019, 07:37 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1991 25' Excella
2011 19' Flying Cloud
Santa Ynez
, California
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 1,185
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Ceiling height in our 91 is 6'-6" +- minus air difusser trim.
__________________
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
Will Rogers
Alan
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04-16-2019, 06:13 AM
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#4
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2 Rivet Member
2017 25' Flying Cloud
Burleson
, Texas
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 25
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i think that's a cool idea; it could be a drive thru or a walk-up. You could put some chairs and tables outside and serve sandwiches or something too. Also, if you set it up as non-portable, you will have to do something about the tires.. maybe jack up the trailer so the tires are hanging a little off the ground?
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04-16-2019, 09:59 AM
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#5
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1 Rivet Member
1966 26' Overlander
Derby
, Vermont
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 5
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“coffee shop”
This was located at Germany airport, Nuremberg, I think?
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04-16-2019, 10:06 AM
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#6
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New Member
Bro St
, Ohio
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 2
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Thanks all! I don't have a fixed budget. Obviously I'd want to be into the trailer for as little as possible(how cheap does a 25-30' airstream get if the internals don't matter?)
Yes, likely have it live on jack stands or something of the like.
It would live if a perfect location to have lawn chairs and such set up outside.
I'm a fairly handy guy, with experience in both cars and construction, so I'm confident I could frame out etc whatever needed to be done, IF the thing could be done for a reasonable price.
Where's the best place to look for a dry shell?
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04-16-2019, 11:40 AM
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#7
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1 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Helena
, Ohio
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 10
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Beer Trailer
Here's a beer/cocktail trailer we're working on for a gentleman in Illinois. Complete with serving hatch and foldout oak serving shelf.
__________________
JohnBob
'I want a Whale Tail for Christmas!'
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04-16-2019, 11:53 AM
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#8
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Rivet Master
2019 27' Globetrotter
Salem
, Oregon
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 691
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This folks specialize in custom Airstream Trailers http://ultimateairstream.com/
Dave
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04-16-2019, 12:02 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
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This kind of thing has been done by others, but you'd have to run the numbers carefully. The bit limitation on coffee shops is that people show up, spend $3 on a cuppa, and then occupy one of your limited seats for 3 hours as they peck away at their notebooks. Meanwhile, other paying customers are displaced. Quickly you can see how non-viable that is.
A walk-up with perhaps a rain canopy would reduce that kind of pressure. That's the model that Hey Cupcake! appears to be using in Austin, and they have survived financially for at least a few years now. Two-minute vid here, not much focus on the Airstream per se.
https://heycupcake.com/pages/story
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04-16-2019, 12:20 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
League City
, Texas
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 6,139
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Bear in mind OP that you don't necessarily need to go low-end on the business model. If you have the space, the utilities, and the authority to park it, you could for instance create a professional lease space of sorts (although I cannot advise you on what such a contract would look like).
I showed up one day to the office of my former CPA only to find her with a huge poo-eating smirk on her face. "Guess what I just got?" she crowed. "An Airstream!"
She converted it into a tax office, and thus the space was capable of hosting activities that generated far more revenue than any consumer food or gadget outlet. (And incidentally, I decided on that day that at some point, I, too would have an Airstream that I can work out of -- and about a dozen years later, I finally did.)
Here's a Wall Street Journal article on it (given its age, it should not be paywalled). Bear in mind that this was 2003, so upcycling an old Airstream was a new and unusual thing to do back then.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1042578580153298944
Later when she built a boutique hotel, her Airstream tax office was hoisted onto the roof of it. Here's a link to that story where the New York Times photo shows her still with that same poo-eating smirk on her face.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/r...al/18sqft.html
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04-16-2019, 02:00 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
2019 25' Flying Cloud
West Windsor
, Vermont
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 72
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Coffee shop
Here’s an inspirational success story about a very special woman and her restaurant that evolved at one point from a vintage 1965 AS.
https://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/20...-freedom-maine
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06-10-2019, 03:03 PM
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#12
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New Member
1971 31' Sovereign
Gahanna
, oh
Join Date: Jun 2019
Posts: 1
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06-10-2019, 04:10 PM
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#13
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3 Rivet Member
1984 27' Sovereign
Central
, Oklahoma
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 108
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There is one for sale on govdeals.com auction in Tennessee right now that is partially gutted. Might fit your bill? Looks like it had been used a some type of business.
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10-25-2019, 06:51 AM
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#14
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1 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Helena
, Ohio
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 10
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Whoops - pic didn't load. Fixed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnbob
Here's a beer/cocktail trailer we're working on for a gentleman in Illinois. Complete with serving hatch and foldout oak serving shelf. Whoops - pic didn't load. Fixed.
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Whoops - pic didn't load. Fixed.
__________________
JohnBob
'I want a Whale Tail for Christmas!'
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10-25-2019, 07:17 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
1988 25' Excella
1987 32' Excella
Knoxville
, Tennessee
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 5,101
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If the customers come in and go out of the trailer/shop they are going to bang their heads on the door frame. The low door opening and the curve in the walls makes this almost a sure thing. Not sure how you would get around that. And it surely hurts.
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10-25-2019, 07:29 AM
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#16
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
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Hi
Ceiling height is reasonable at the center of the trailer and drops off towards the sides. In order to seat more than a couple people in the trailer (they are narrow) you likely will have seating tight to the walls.
Most of the setups I have seen use outdoor seating and simply do the prep in the trailer. The point of sale is through a large "window" in the side of the trailer.
Bob
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10-25-2019, 09:07 AM
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#17
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Rivet Master
1969 18' Caravel
Greenville
, whereEverIroam
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,409
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjd2
Thanks all! I don't have a fixed budget. Obviously I'd want to be into the trailer for as little as possible(how cheap does a 25-30' airstream get if the internals don't matter?)
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Perhaps as cheap as 3-5k, depending. This is assuming you buy an older, vintage trailer in rather poor shape, which may sell for cheap, but require a lot of work.
Older vintage trailers, 1980 models and earlier, may be found in useable condition to those requiring a complete shell-off, frame rebuild major projects. This has been done many times, but never quickly or easily, unless you hire it out to those with lots of experience doing exactly this sort of thing, but then the cost escalates and you indicated you would like to do the work yourself.
Any customization of any Airstream can not be done "cheaply" to wind up with a presentable, weather-tight trailer.
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10-25-2019, 09:30 AM
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#18
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,684
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Hi
So what are you up against when you get your "couple of thousand dollar" elderly trailer?
First, either it's stationary ( = never moves) or it's mobile. I'm guessing mobile is the choice there. That implies:
1) brakes
2) hubs
3) axles
4) hitch
5) breakaway system
6) battery
7) lights
all are functional. If not, getting a license plate on it will be tough.
For any use you will need:
1) A solid floor (they can rot out)
2) a reasonably solid frame (they rust out)
3) functional seals on the windows and vents
4) interior lighting
You may also need:
1) Airconditioning
2) 120V power
3) basic water
4) drains (sewer)
5) smoke detectors
6) propane detectors (if you have propane)
7) heat
8) hot water
Your local codes may / may not require various things if many customers are seated inside the vehicle. ( multiple exits .....).
It is not uncommon to see costs run up into the many 10's of thousands of dollars. Indeed if you pay for labor they go up very fast. Since there can be a range of skills involved, doing it all yourself may or may not work out.
Bob
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10-25-2019, 10:04 AM
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#19
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Rivet Master
2013 20' Flying Cloud
Westerly
, Rhode Island
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 654
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OP has no activity since 4/20
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10-25-2019, 10:12 AM
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#20
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Rivet Master
1969 18' Caravel
Greenville
, whereEverIroam
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,409
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Could be he woke up and smelled the java?
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