Mobile Home Pop-up Store

Elegant mobile homes could be converted to unique mobile pop-up stores

Need a semi permanent pop-up store? Might be time to look into a mobile home.

Mobile Art Gallery

Stephen Marshall of “Little House on a Trailer” builds quite elegant mobile homes. The idea is that the home will be permanently placed in one location but there is nothing preventing the homes from being moved periodically such as Stephen’s mobile employee housing option. The company has also built galleries and show rooms for clients. Enter the idea to use the concept for pop-up stores.

Many pop-up locations, including a pop-up bank placed in Atlanta this past year, are sitting in one location for 3 months or more. A mobile store on wheels built to traditional build standards could economically be placed and setup to look permanent for that period of time. Using a trailer versus a shipping container or other temporary structure could help avoid code entanglements. Even if there were code issues, the homes are built to conform to prevailing codes possibly avoiding a lot of red tape.

The main issues we can see are height and width for transport. Height can be addressed in the design stage. The low deck of the trailer would likely allow for up to 9 feet of interior height, with a “flat” roof. The smaller models are currently built 12 feet wide requiring a “wide load” permit. If “Little House on a Trailer” can develop a 8 to 8 1/2 foot wide version it could be transported with out permit and setup by event marketing logistic agencies.

While these trailers are built to last a long time as a second or auxiliary home, transporting the trailer may shorten the lifespan of the unit. But with a starting price of under $50,000 it might be worth it.

The look is not for every brand but for some, like those of the Sonoma area, it might be right on the mark.