Meet Calamity Jane, my 1965 travel trailer—named for her stubborn resistance to becoming the chic little flower shop I envisioned. I should have known this project would take longer and cost more than expected. Growing up with an architect father and an interior designer mother, I was no stranger to renovations. But this? This nearly broke me.
I own a flower shop in Portland, Oregon, and after a year of working from my home studio, I wanted to make our designs as accessible as a food truck. Inspired by Portland’s food cart culture, I found a vintage travel trailer online, stripped it to the studs, and transformed it into a mobile shop, complete with a walk-in refrigerator, workspace, storage, and a cozy lounge for wedding consultations. It’s beautiful now, but getting here was an odyssey of blood, sweat, and more than a few tears.
The Work We Did:
We started by gutting the interior, hoping to salvage pieces, but rot forced us to strip it completely—except for the counter under the windows. We replaced damaged framing, reinforced missing sections, and reattached walls where the floor had disintegrated. The exterior was another challenge. I repainted it three times, determined to get the perfect matte finish. Turns out, Oregon weather is not kind to matte paint, no matter how much sealant I used.
The electrical work became a nightmare. My partner, Tod, planned to handle it, but after a series of setbacks (including an incompetent electrician and Tod impaling his own hand), we ended up hiring multiple professionals to redo the wiring. One had wired things so dangerously wrong that we narrowly avoided a fiery disaster. In the end, after dismantling and reassembling a wall—twice—we finally got it right.
We installed insulation, rebuilt storage benches, and fitted a gorgeous copper sink I found on Craigslist. The instant water heater went under the seating, with plumbing set up to recycle water for the shop garden. The j-rail replacement was done in freezing temperatures, with bolts constantly slipping from our gloved hands. And the leaks—oh, the leaks. No matter how much I caulked, water found a way in. Eventually, I bought a massive tent to cover the trailer, giving me extra workspace while I figured out a better fix.
After countless hurdles, Calamity Jane is now a fully functional mobile flower shop, ready to hit the road. The journey was far from easy, but standing inside my beautifully finished little trailer, I know it was worth every frustration.
Originally featured in issue 18 of the Vintage Camper Trailers Magazine.
