“You’re going to drive that thing?” exclaimed nearly everyone who listened to me explain my pop-up in early November. But that was the second question that was asked shortly after I had to explain what a retail truck was. But that’s why I’m writing this post.. To explain how trucks are now the new store front and you are going to start seeing them everywhere.
For starters, this Pop-Up could not have happened if it wasn’t for the help of Hustle Trucks. They are a small business that just launched as a side hustle to their bigger brand, The Van Plan. They are local and operate straight out of Inglewood. They do a wonderful job turning vans and trucks into homes on wheels and whatever you want really. So, they reached out to me and I could not be more grateful for being their first client!! Thank you Hustle Trucks!!
If you don’t like reading, I put together a small video of my first day on the job below.
I only had one small hiccup. That was with the battery. Please keep in mind that I was the very first person to operate and set up shop in this cool truck. The battery, turns out, just needed to be turned on. This is clearly an insider look at what Mom brain is and how it can be applied to small tasks like, turning IT ON. LoL! After that, it was smooth sailing.
The truck itself was easy to drive but I definitely had my stomach turning when I first got the keys. I wasn’t exactly the most confident but as I drove down the iconic La Brea in a turned-over Mail truck with doors all open, I felt kinda bossy. I was doing it!
Another fear I had was parking and backing out but the recently added cameras gave me confidence and I managed to squeeze in and out of spaces with ease. The entire Truck locks up easy and the back lowers efficiently. The truck rattles a lot when driving but that is to be expected with shelving and general use over the years of service it served. Oh, I forgot to mention, it was a USPS mail truck at one point. But it’s the perfect size for a retail space. The neat part is that it fits in any parking space just make sure to read signs about large trucks that are in Los Angeles area. They tend to be sticklers about that sort of thing.
I set up just outside Blue Bottle coffee on Abbot Kinney Blvd. This legendary strip of retail shops and eateries is known for lots of foot traffic and is home to one of a kind places like TOMS coffee shop which doubles as their flag ship store. I spent a lot of time there over the years. Setting up was fairly simple and only took about 20 mins at most. It comes with adjustable shelves, and hangers upon request. I arranged the shelves to my liking and used my own hangers. Moving them is easy and most items on hangers can travel that way but definitely remove anything that could fall during the journey from destination to destination. I made sure to only allow folks in a little at a time and masks were mandatory due to COVID. I placed hand sanitizer and every now and then I sprayed the air with a disinfectant. Provided with the truck was a changing room, however, it was not in use as I wanted to do my best to protect myself and others during this pandemic. I stayed for a good 6 hours chatting, making sales and enjoying my new found freedom on wheels.
If you are interested in renting a truck for your business, click here.
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It was so nice having you guys stop by and support. I can’t thank you enough for even just giving this a read! I’m feeling so blessed this season… If you want to shop the next Pop-Up, make sure to sign up to our newsletter on tresvu.com
♥Kris
