1973 Airstream travel trailer is transformed into boutique catering to the camping life

WARREN TOWNSHIP –  A husband and wife team is giving their 1973 Airstream travel trailer a makeover for a new life as a semi-permanent boutique for all ages. Building upon the successes of running a modern cosmetic business out of her rural, picturesque home and property, Sasha Poole is looking to expand using their iconic travel addition: the creation of a boutique within a 50-year-old Airstream International Land Yacht, named Sunshine Gypsy Boutique, or just Sunny.

Nestled among bucolic rolling hills of beans and corn, the Airstream is easily seen from the road, accessible via a short, steep driveway at 4430 Henderson School Road NE, in Tuscarawas County. Located 10 miles northeast of New Philadelphia and 8 miles southeast of Mineral City, the quaint property is about a five-minute drive from the nearest public boat launch on Atwood Lake Park – a popular outdoor destination in the region.

Sasha and her husband Craig, who works as an electrician by day, built the family home on 5 acres of property that, “was just a pasture field when we bought it,” said Sasha. They even had to start a fire to clear all the brush, according to Sasha. Attached to the house they built themselves 8 years ago is Sasha’s current business, The Mod Chair Cosmetic Parlour, LLC, which just opened on March 17.

“I have been in the beauty industry for 18 years and been doing cosmetic sales for about the same time. Honestly, this is my way of bringing all my careers and hobbies into one place. I do a lot of bridal hair and makeup, and freelance work for cosmetic lines. A lot of them are exclusive and high end. So, I just wanted something that I believe in, and affordable products for this market as well, because not everybody wants to spend $150 on a face cream,” said Sasha.

In addition to running The Mod Chair, Craig’s full-time work, and maintaining a farm with livestock, they still attend to the needs of two boys, River, 5, and Canyon, 3. No undertaking like that is done successfully without a little love and support, however. Just next door, the Pooles can call upon Craig’s parents, Shelley, and Greg, who also own an expansive 35 acres (about half the area of a large shopping mall) of land for the children to explore.

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What will define the boutique?

Sasha is looking to uniquely market her businesses along with an ever-growing tip of the hat towards the niche market of clientele seeking environmentally safer and more natural products – from hair care, to makeup, and extending over to the fashionable trend of vintage attire. But her ideal shopper will also closely reflect the rural market of life in Tuscarawas County.

She is relying on the interest of travelers coming to the Atwood Lake region, because the closest boutique or haircut requires a considerable drive far to the west in New Philadelphia, or far past the eastern end of the lake in Carrollton.

“Our market isn’t wearing pencil skirts and pumps every day. I want to cater more towards the camper life, the outdoor life – people who really do get out and work. I want a lot of clothes to be wearable,” said Sasha.

"I’m going to have 60 percent clothes in there – let’s say. There’s going to be a little bit of a niche to that, I think, because I just don’t want any clothes because there’s clothes everywhere. I don’t want to be your standard boutique where you feel like you have to spend $45 on a T-shirt.

"I know I’m trying to cater mostly to the local environment as far as what our culture is like. People come to Atwood Lake from all over.”

For those wondering about seasonal accessibility, this cultural trend in camper life meets rural resident extends into winter as well, because The Mod Chair will ideally be able to support the Airstream experience and vice versa. The two businesses are intended to serve the person coming in for hair or beauty care who would then step into the Airstream for a something to compliment or enhance their fresh look.

There will be seasonal décor, candles, and clothes. Come wintertime, there will be jackets, boots, and warm, fuzzy hats,” she said.

How Sunny was conceived

The Airstream was initially bought as a push gift – a re-emerging trend since about 2010. It’s what expectant couples give to one another beyond the gift of life. Also commonly referred to as a push present or baby bauble, they can be given by either partner or even by family members shortly after the birth of a child.

Craig is an affable man, dirty from a hard days work, and speaks with a drawl and disposition that’s pleasantly honest. “When she was pregnant with our oldest boy, I didn’t know what a push gift was,” he said. She starts telling me about it, and you’re supposed to get each other a gift. So, I told her I had found this thing online when I was working over in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania – not every day, but pretty often. It just so happened that the Airstream was right down the road from where I was working. I got a hold of the guy and talked to him, and he said 'Yeah, come out and take a look at it.’ So, I came home and said, 'We got to take a look at something.'"

The Airstream was inherited by its then owner in Beaver Falls from a friend who died of cancer and was held onto because he "wanted to see someone do something cool with it," according to Craig.

“And so, here we are. We gutted the entire thing,” said Craig.

Decisions and a vision

Sasha and Craig had been following both Airstream and travel culture writ large for years and wanted to be able to travel with their children.

“We wanted to have fun,” Sasha said. “We realized that it’s going to take a lot of time and money, which is hard when you have a 5- and a 3-year-old. I got this (the camper) when the first baby was born, and the funny thing is, we have tried to tackle it multiple times just to get it to go down the road.”

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That’s when they realized the futility of attempting a total restoration for some semblance of a traveling or vacationing road life with children.

The Airstream was far from roadworthy – especially if it was to be a suitable family camper. When Craig set into the initial grunt work of gutting generations of well-loved travel trailer interior, he eventually pulled up the flooring only to discover a rusted and rotted out frame. Eventually, decisions had to be made. Things that were not going to be used, such as vents which were covered up with kitschy signs and other decorative additions matching the era.

Buying a brand-new Airstream is achievable for some, but for others on a tight budget with an extremely specific vision, Sasha’s push-gift really fit the bill. She says it is going to feel like 1973 when stepping inside.

Celebration

The grand opening for Sunshine Gypsy Boutique will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 15-16, at 4430 Henderson School Road NE.

T-R staff photographer Andrew Dolph can be reached via phone at 330-289-6072, or email at adolph3@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Airstream trailer transformed into boutique catering to camping life