Sustainable fashion, a smart business plan and a Preston County based business — these are some of my favorite things, so when I saw the Rambling Van Vintage mobile boutique at an event recently, I knew I wanted to talk to the owner.
Kaleigh Houser, owner of Rambling Van Vintage, said for as long as she can remember she’s loved fashion. Studying fashion merchandising at WVU, she fell in love with vintage during a history of costume course.
When during her senior year she had to make a business plan, the idea of opening a shop took hold. But she knew jumping into a store front wasn’t a good idea or even feasible.
While visiting her brother in San Francisco Kaleigh saw an alternative to a store front: “a fashion truck — it’s the same concept as a food truck, but selling clothing and accessories.”
About four years ago, her father retired from working in stained glass — a job for which he utilized a cargo van. Kaleigh commandeered it. “Thankfully he was excited about the idea, and was very supportive,” she said. Her husband helped retrofit the inside of the van with hanging closets with bars and shelves.
In 2018, she dipped her toes into selling vintage clothing out of the van, setting up at events in Morgantown and Bridgeport.
As she traveled around the area with her shop on wheels, Kaleigh kept the idea of a store front in mind.
When she and her husband moved out of their Kingwood house, her husband reminded her that it was zoned for business as well as residential.
So, she opened her Kingwood store front, keeping modest hours just on the Fridays and Saturdays when she is not opening her van at an event. Kaleigh also offers hours by appointment as well as party events where friends can gather for a group shopping and fun experience.
Sourcing her merchandise is “a combination of the hunt, and the generosity and interest of people,” Kaleigh said. She digs through racks at thrift stores, and also people who hear about her business invite her to rummage through their attics.
Kaleigh said she loves “being able to take something that was made 50 years ago, and maybe for a completely different purpose, and then you wear it in a new way.” She talked about how throughout history fashion had very rigid rules. “I enjoy so much how today there are no rules – today to be able to wear just about anything, anywhere, is very liberating,” Kaleigh said. “I like to go back and kind of cherry pick what I like from those eras.”
When she opens her van at events, she showcases her love of fashion. “I get to wear all kinds of different things from all kinds of different eras,” she said.
Kaleigh often chats with people who comment that they used to wear items like those she dons. She likes “seeing the reaction of someone who has been in that time before, and now gets to see the clothes being worn now in such a different way.”
“One of the things I get a lot, especially around here in Preston County in particular, is that people feel intimidated by fashion,” Kaleigh said. “What I say to them is, it’s not like your whole outfit has to be vintage.”
Next time you are in a shop, or a fashion truck, and see an item you love — even if it is out of your comfort zone, mix it with clothes you are comfortable in, and give something new/old a try.
ALDONA BIRD is a journalist, previously writing for The Dominion Post. She uses experience gained working on organic farms in Europe to help her explore possibilities of local productivity and sustainable living in Preston County. Email columns@dominionpost.com.
