Excerpt from the Asheville Citizen-Times:
Unlike their brick-and-mortar counterparts, mobile businesses can change their fortune by revving the engine and driving where business is good. But getting the mobile business rolling has proved more difficult than pressing the accelerator.
Hazel Twenty is a mint green mobile fashion boutique that Lexi DiYeso opened for business in Asheville this October. As DiYeso and an increasing number of other mobile store owners explain, this trend comes with its own unique set of challenges and rewards.
“I don’t have a blueprint to follow. I don’t have a guidebook that can tell me the best way to run my mobile boutique,” DiYeso said. “When you’re a mobile entrepreneur, you’re getting tested every which way you turn. You kind of have to enjoy a part of that, otherwise you may not be cut out for it because it can chew you up and spit you out.”
The idea of a mobile boutique has been around the block for years in cities like Los Angeles, New York City and Austin, Texas. Approximately 400 retail businesses operate nationwide, according to the American Mobile Retail Association, and the trend is expected to keep rolling.
The trend is anchored by the opportunity for local entrepreneurs to take risks at a lower cost and display greater ingenuity, said Josh Dorfman, director of entrepreneurship development for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
“If you look at pop-up shops or mobile shops, there’s an understanding by entrepreneurs that you can get to market much faster today with less investment,” Dorfman said. “For Asheville, we may see more of it because of the creative ethos. Also, for the creatives here, it is the opportunity to build more flexibility into their day, manage their time and decide how they want to grow their business.”
Read the full article in the Citizen-Times.
Photo Credit: Colby Rabon, Citizen-Times
