Big Bertha

Our Journey with our trailer. Many years ago, at the end of our first year using a pop-up tent at vendor shows, I had the privilege of visiting with the owner one of my favorite boutiques in Idaho. Of course, being so excited and pumped, I got up at 3 a.m. teased my hair to heaven, put makeup on to look put together, got dressed, and jumped in my truck to start the 5-hour drive. As I sat down with my Idol in the boutique world, I could barely sit in my chair. We talked and laughed she asked me about the things that I do, how our business is, and goals. Then the conversation turned in a different direction all of a sudden, when she looked at me and says “you might hate me after this, I am from Texas and a little to blunt at times but I am going to let you know what I think.” At this point I could have made the choice to take the next words out of her mouth defensive, but I had made the choice going into this visit when I had told myself: “KC, you are asking someone who has made a unique profitable business for advice and you need to be willing to take it. Listen to what the message is whole hearted with both eyes open.” With this in mind I looked at her and said, “Ok, I like blunt and straight to the point.” Her response was, “All I see is a big boobed, big hair, heavy makeup wearing, rodeo wife. What makes you so special? You have a pop-up tent just like the girl next to you. What makes you stand out? Nothing.” GUYS SHE WAS RIGHT. I look just like the girl next to me, and I needed to change it. As I went home, I started thinking of everything and anything that I could.

One of the problems with a pop-up tents is you spend more time setting up and taking down then you do sell and visiting. I want to be able to pull in and open the doors and be ready. And I don’t want to look like the store right next to me. So, what could I do that is different? Well, then it came to me, “we need a trailer that still looks like its purpose on the outside but a store from the inside.” From there we built out first store and man was it a test of not only faith, but my marriage, will power, and determination. When the opportunity to start over came along I was so excited this time we were going to take our time and do things the way that I imagined them to be but also scared of going through all the turmoil again. After talking with Frank, he just looked at me and said, “let’s do it, there were so many things with this trailer that I would have liked to do different. Now that I know a little more about what I am doing it will be easier.” I should have recorded him. We went on the search and that is when we came across our Big Bertha of a trailer, any found ourselves jumping in the semi and driving out to Oklahoma to pick that big old girl up.

When diving into any project you always find the good, the bad, and ugly. Well we didn’t find any of the good. The first time that we had seen her, it was noticeable that there was damage but we didn’t know how bad until walls started coming down. Soon we found out that it would take us longer to restore this trailer than we thought. When pulling down all the metal paneling of the inside of the trailer we found that the framing were the back 4 windows are located on the driver’s side had been broken off from the roof and also the same issue was at the front passenger side. When we pulled up the metal that was covering the driver side rear wheels, we found that the steel frame had a crack in it. We had been coming home from our 9-5 jobs sometimes after baseball games to work on the trailer till 1 am. Both Frank and me would turning around and getting up early to be to work the next morning. On weekends coming home from work on Friday’s after stopping at Home Depot to get supplies to get through the weekend (trying to not have to drive 30 minutes back into town to get something that we forgot example: drill bit) and working till 4 am and then back to the trailer at 8 am most mornings. During this time, we weren’t only sleep depraved beyond all measures, I also lost an Uncle due to cancer and took off to Washington for his funeral, and found ourselves having to take care of an issue with my ex-husband. It was starting to seem like all the cards where stacking up against us. 

After still working down to the wire to get everything finished and with so many friends stopping by and just grabbing drills and jumping in, my husband’s best friend looked at me and said, “KC it’s time to call it.” I went on social media and holding back tears cancel our open house. I grabbed a bottle of wine, sat in the unfinished trailer floor, and started drinking straight out of the bottle (which isn’t a normality of mine). I sat on the floor hot, sweaty. I felt so disappointed and helpless. While drinking out of that bottle of and sitting on the floor of the unfinished store crying. I just remember being to the point of just wanting to quit and give up. I told Frank that I was going to get in the shower and just wanted to go to bed. As I am in the shower his friend banged on the door and said “we are going to dinner get ready.” The 4 of us loaded up and went. After laughing and talking we all started driving back to the house when Frank grabbed my hand and whispered in my ear, “I am sorry and I just love you.” I think we just needed a reset night. The next morning, we decided we have a week before High school state rodeo finals and because of all the amazing help didn’t have too much to do. We got to work, still at times getting testy but moving forward then we hit 6/9. We woke up and went straight to work but I think that with being so close it lit a fire in Frank. All day it was a race and once we got to putting the wheels back on the trailer it was DONE! At this point there were a couple of things that we wanted to change (My hand painted name on the side of the trailer that looked like a 5-year-old had done it.) Overall, I was just so happy that it was done.

In closing: We have now done our last and finial trailer. This is the trailer that I had always imagined, and there is no way that I could have done it with anyone else. Frank and me have a great set of friends that it doesn’t need to be said when someone needs help, they just show up and get it taken care of. We hope that you as customers and friends can stop by and see our “Big Bertha” creation and love it as much as we now do.