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Would you run a Tiny Business on Wheels?


This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve got a question for you: would you ever consider running a tiny business on wheels?

With farmer’s markets growing in popularity and people turning back to the simple life to find happiness and meaning it may be a viable idea.

Take Kara Rosenlund for example. She’s converted an old travel trailer into a mobile shop where she sells vintage goods for folks to buy for their homes.

Not only is it a great place to get inspired and do your work, but it’s also a wonderful place to sell your products.

Kara simply tows and goes to any event she wishes and is able to display and sell her goods there. With this approach, she doesn’t have to maintain an entire store with high rent and long hours.

Instead, she can peacefully create her products from wherever she’d like as well as display and sell her work from just about anywhere she wants.

Kara calls her store Travelling Wares. And I think you’ll agree that her caravan is just adorable. Have a look..

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Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

I encourage you to check out the rest of the photos along with Kara’s vintage decorations below:

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

 

Kara Rosenlund's Tiny Business on Wheels

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Karas Tiny Business on Wheels Using a Travel Trailer to Sell Goods

Photo Credit Kara Rosenlund kararosenlund.com

Would you consider a tiny business on wheels similar to this? If so, what would you offer?

Learn more about Kara’s caravan and her tiny business right here.

Shop for vintage goodies directly from Kara right here.

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More Like This: Tiny Houses | 240 Sq. Ft. Tiny Cottage Remodel (Before & After) | THOW

If you enjoyed this post “Like” and share using the buttons below then if you want tell us what business you’d take to the road in the comments at the bottom. Thanks!

Sources:

  1. https://shop.kararosenlund.com/best-sellers/

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Alex

Alex is a contributor and editor for TinyHouseTalk.com and the always free Tiny House Newsletter. He has a passion for exploring and sharing tiny homes (from yurts and RVs to tiny cabins and cottages) and inspiring simple living stories. We invite you to send in your story and tiny home photos too so we can re-share and inspire others towards a simple life too. Thank you!
{ 26 comments… add one }
  • October 29, 2012, 11:00 am

    Classy lil’ place- I’ve seen this done a few times before, but I like the look of this one better than most others. I usually find people selling small wares (jewelry, clothing, knick-knacks) out of their campers, as these objects are easier to stow and take up less space. Antlers and carboys, that’s a first. Very cool though- best of luck to you and your business!
    -Deek

  • alice h
    October 29, 2012, 2:35 pm

    After reading a book called Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley, about a horse drawn book caravan, I really wanted to get a double decker bus and run around the countryside with a mobile book store and tea house. I would have made the upstairs living quarters. Never did get at it, but the concept of a mobile tiny business definitely makes sense. Low overhead, total artistic control, what’s not to like?

  • October 30, 2012, 7:05 pm

    Yes! I used a similar camper, built in the 1950’s, to sell jewelry. At lunch, I would pull it up to the handsome high rise buildings in my city and invite the ladies down to see my wares. What fun.

    Now my business is stationary, but it is totally portable should we choose to move. What is great is the low overhead – $0.00 – as it is totally paid off. This greatly increases the profit margin 🙂

  • Adam
    October 31, 2012, 9:03 pm

    When my son was 3, my wife and I bought a caravan and 4WD and travelled for 6 months up and down the East Coast of Australia. I ran a Heraldry business and she ran a business selling Jewellery Cleaning Plates. We set up at markets and in shopping centres. My son is now 9, and although we have been settled for a while, we still run the cleaning plate business and make/sell natural skin care every once in a while.

    It is a great lifestyle if you love travel and finding alternative income opportunities.

    Best wishes – Adam

  • Betty
    November 10, 2012, 10:34 am

    Sometimes I’ve dreamed of a tiny traveling charity soup kitchen.

    • Lon
      April 11, 2015, 7:30 pm

      Great idea!

  • TomLeeM
    November 12, 2012, 3:43 pm

    I think it is a very clever use of a camper trailer to sell things from.

    I guess one could come up with something that could be sold from a similar camper / trailer. I could probably think of something. 🙂

  • Carolyn B
    November 12, 2012, 8:52 pm

    Very good idea. Like others have said, low overhead and less packing up to take your stuff to outdoor markets, etc.

    Good for her.

  • Jennifer
    November 23, 2012, 8:48 am

    I have been thinking of running an herbal medicines business out of the tiny home my husband and I are planning. I only really need space for the prep process, a table outside on a nice day will do. Many keep for a long time or are inexpensive enough to turn over quickly.

    • Tina Peterson
      April 3, 2015, 12:58 am

      To sell on the internet or in a store (anything not face to face), my herbals have to be made in a DEC approved and registered kitchen, kept there while tincture matures, bottled there, etc. Making our kitchen on a trailer, tiny house style. Can also sell from it (at fairs, etc). If we graduate to something bigger for manufacturing, we can use the “kitchen” as a shop, or move it onto vacant land to live in.

  • karen taylor
    January 2, 2013, 4:47 pm

    Enjoyed the artical on traveling business, workshop. I have had the same idea, only I am buying an empty (new) truck camper to turn into my workshop/ business on wheels. I need a larger truck to pull my home on wheels, so I thought it could do double duty. When Im in one location for longer peroids of time I could put the shop on jacks and have it right outside my tiny house. The idea of starting from scratch on the camper/shop/ business is interesting to me, kind of a multi function very small room. I do jewlry design, woodworking, and other crafts that I sell in a (6 months only) tourist economy. With the tiny home and camper I can move to another area in winter with ease. attend all the local farm markets ect. and still have a nice tiny home.
    Karen in Wisconsin

  • Edueck
    February 13, 2013, 12:40 pm

    Funny you should mention this. I have been thinking of changing my pull be hind tent trailer into a mobile work shop. As a starving wood crafter, I have seen many shows that travel from town to town. I think this is a great idea as you could take the few tools that you would need to do your wood work. Store them in your trailer as well as a small work space and off you go.

    should you decide to go fishing then you can go on a camping trip and still make some of your crafts. You could sit and wait for the fish to bite and carve something for your next show. Or if you are at the show and you need to finish some piece of work this way you can still work on it.
    This way you get to live your life and travel at the same time, you know when kids turn eighteen they want to move out. Well the way I see it when they turn eighteen I can move out lol.
    I drove truck for many years,but that was THE JOB and I could never stop where I wanted to I had to go,go,go. Now that my years are creeping up I still want to see some country. I think this would be the way to do it and still get paid for it.

  • Tom Beaudin
    March 16, 2013, 3:09 pm

    You might find roadblocks coming from municipalities, regarding permits and inspections and the like. Can you speak to this?

    • Dea
      April 14, 2015, 1:41 pm

      I can speak of some, mostly just harassments… keep your place nice and tidy, well organized (the tiny living pretty much takes care of this, its natural to do quicker) and give nothing to fuss about…if someone puffs, don’t sweat it be rational hopefully a work sample and living tour will set aside any disparagement. I do seasonal weaving and active recycling of reusable materials, its enjoyable and useful, I find my items way outlast store originals. SO proud to be thrifty, nifty, and, crafty or things wouldn’t be sunny for us. Best wishes, its very rewarding.

  • March 1, 2015, 10:12 pm

    I am currently working on this for my own business. My mom and I are getting up there and don’t have the youthful energy it takes to put up a tent, display all the stuff and pack it all up again. A sweet vintage trailer or tiny home on wheels would be a great attention grabber at the festivals and local markets we attend.

  • soni
    April 10, 2015, 3:21 pm

    Same here as all others….love the idea and have kicked it around recently…we shall all meet one day…assuming we are all on one continent LOL… I paint, now using a unique technique, but also LOVE LOVE LOVE art journals and would love to be able to have a guided art journal gathering in a number of places that I could travel to regularly with updates on-line. The warmer climates in the winter especially 😉

  • Karen R
    April 10, 2015, 7:25 pm

    I had antique dealers and collectors come into my home to shop, then my fifth wheel, and now my tiny house, but I don’t pull it from venue to venue. This is a great idea done in a very classy way.

  • JeffLee
    April 10, 2015, 7:46 pm

    Cool little camper but looks too small to actually sell out of, especially if you’re living out of it on your travels. Saw a customized pop up camper at a local flea market that was pretty well thought out. The hard shell would crank up to reveal a pyramid of shelves with all their wares organized. They were selling a lot of cast iron cookware and other primitives where the normal setup would have been a killer.

  • April 10, 2015, 9:03 pm

    I can speak of the permitting here in So. California. Any traveling business in California that is not regulated by the state or county “MUST” obtain a permit from each city they will driving their goods to sell. It may work in some states but, not in awe”fool” California.

  • Trish
    April 11, 2015, 12:03 am

    This is crazy to see this today. I saw a food trailer in front of me on my way home. Started wondering how this could transfer into a tiny house with some area for selling some of my art …. This has got me thinking ….

  • Marsha Cowan
    April 11, 2015, 1:41 am

    I like the idea, and it seems to be working well for her. In fact, I have already bookmarked her site to do some shopping, so other people who see her adorable tiny house and come up to check it out will also be curious about her wares and her website. Good plan!

  • April 11, 2015, 9:23 am

    I’ve often thought about building a tiny house for my drafting studio. I like to be where my houses are being built so the tiny house could go anywhere (sort of like a job site trailer). I think the tiny house would draw attention to my company too.

  • treehouse in paradise
    April 12, 2015, 1:06 am

    What a charming little trailer. Wish I could find one like it. It would be so easy to pull up to a vendor show or farmer’s market with. Unload your wares and have a place to endure the few days at the show. I’d love to see more of the set up inside her trailer. It might be just perfect for me.

  • May 26, 2015, 1:34 pm

    Had to comment again. We are working with chcampers.com, jerry ragon, is working up an estimate to create a 1960s Holiday House Travel Trailer as a mobile boutique. The 18 footer should be just right for us and fairly easy to learn how to tow. He already creates the vintage Scottie travel trailers for vendors. He is also listed on this website branching out into making THOWs!

  • Candide33
    May 26, 2015, 10:49 pm

    She sells seashells at the sea shore! LOL!

    My son and husband have been talking about making one for me that looks like an old time country store to bring to the farmer’s market instead of using the canopy. I think it is a great idea.

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