Our Story
It was New Year's Eve 2012. Friends from the States were in town to help us celebrate. Sometime during that visit, I was introduced to the concept of a mobile boutique. "You have got to see this shop called Lodekka! And right next door is another little gem called Wanderlust!" gushed my dear friend. So, of course, we searched the world wide web.... and there they were.... two charming vintage shops, one housed inside a double-decker bus and one in a tiny trailer. At that moment my world changed. I knew I had to have a mobile vintage boutique, and the concept of Perch Travelling Boutique was born!
Our first attempt at a mobile shop was with a renovated concession stand, somewhat like a trailer. We used it for one season, but at 8' x 10', it simply wasn't big enough. We started hunting for something different. We took a look at countless trailers and tour buses, and finally we found it~ the perfect headquarters for my travelling boutique... a twenty two foot school bus! She was classic school bus yellow, and covered in a layer of grime, but she had good bones.
We brought her home and little by little transformed the old bus into a sparkling shop, complete with
laminate floors, shelves and racks for clothes, a tiny~ yet functional~change room and a new coat of robin's egg blue paint! A bit later I added lettering and illustrations to the exterior.
The rest is history! We filled the blue bus with all sorts of vintage treasures: clothing to accessories, housewares to books. And off we went to events and community markets, making friends and wow-ing passer-bys wherever we went.
This year is set to be our best yet! Not only will we be rolling into a parking lot, market or event near you, but we recently expanded our services to include wardrobe rental, personal style consultation and private 'Shop The Bus' parties! We are building a reputation as an expert vintage consultant for photo shoots and events.
The successes I've had with Perch makes my heart swell with pride. I accomplished my goal of creating an inviting, charming, unique mobile shop unlike any other retail boutique in the Okanagan. What is next for Perch? Who knows? The sky's the limit!
