Retro caravan hits sweet spot
The owner of a specialty icecream trailer was so concerned his pride and joy would be stolen that he slept inside it to keep it safe.
Terence McLaughlin and his family opened their new business selling real fruit icecream, Airstream Ice Cream, at the YMCA site on Rolleston Ave, in Christchurch, on January 1.
He had earlier misplaced the keys and was so worried about leaving the store unattended that he spent about four nights camping out inside to keep watch.
After all the work that went into the caravan’s restoration, it is no wonder McLaughlin wanted to keep it safe.
He and his partner, Rachel McCann, imported the derelict 1947 American Airstream caravan from the United States and spent three years renovating the interior to house the new business.
After the inside was stripped, electrical and plumbing work replaced and new linoleum and benches installed, the silver exterior was buffed and polished for hours to be ready for opening day.
The caravan had been left in a backyard for 40 years and was in a dire state, making for a far ‘‘bigger job’’ than first anticipated, but the couple recruited their daughters Lulu, 12, and Cleo, 14, to help knock the distinctive aluminium frame into shape.
‘‘[When] bringing it down from the North Island, it was amazing how many people … wanted to have a look,’’ McLaughlin said.
Cleo, a Christchurch Girls’ High School student, handles the money and Lulu is in charge of making the icecream. On their busiest day of the summer they passed more than 200 cones over the counter. Most days they sold about 130 icecreams.
To pick the site, McLaughlin and McCann cycled around the city to see where felt ‘‘right’’, eventually settling on a dirt patch bordering the car park at the Christchurch YMCA. The fairly consistent foot traffic and proximity to the Arts Centre of Christchurch and nightlife was the main appeal.
YMCA chief executive Josie Ogden Schroeder ‘‘fully supported’’ the idea and gave the go-ahead to transform the space, about the size of four car parks, by laying grass and decorating it with flamingos, in keeping with their 1950s style, McCann said.
Once the girls go back to school, McLaughlin will run the store solo until he hires extra help. It is open every day, from 11am to 7pm in summer, but with the caravan now locked in place with bollards, he’ll be heading home after his shift instead of sleeping over.