The Van
My love for vintage never stopped at clothing. So when it came time for me to look for a van, it only made sense that I’d be drawn to an old one. For several months I had been looking and researching, craigslist, facebook, even driving by repair shops asking if that old van in the lot was for sale. I had a dream of owning a van and driving up the east coast documenting and photographing the people I met and the things that I’d find. Finally on November 6, 2019 I ended up taking a one way to Jacksonville, Florida, there I would meet Bianca and her van. I knew I wanted an old van and but what I’d soon realize what I really wanted was a Chevy.
I would test drive a good handful of them and none of them felt right. But finally one day on FB marketplace I saw it, a 1995 Chevy G20 Shorty. It honestly felt like it was too good to be true. But with only 70,000 miles on it, I took a chance. Bianca and I would end up talking on the phone and she would confirm that everything about it was true. She said she was a mechanic for the military and kept the van on base there. Only having it a year when she found out she had to to sell it and go away on leave. We would talk a few more times and eventually I found myself flying to Jacksonville to meet her.
What I wouldn’t expect is how attached everyone would be to the van. When I arrived Bianca drove me to the base and introduced me to the other mechanics there. Together they all had kind of fallen in love with it and would tell me how sad they were to see it go. Something about all the love for the van solidified my choice, this was the one.
The journey home was about a five hour drive back that day, but thankfully I didn’t do it alone. Through out the whole van process, my Dad had been my sounding board. When I shared with him that I was headed to Jacksonville, he didn’t want me to do it alone. So I’d say another very special and memorable part of getting the van was driving it back home that day with my Dad.
Fast forward quite a few years, the van is still with me, but she’s gone through some changes. With quite a bit of rust and a few leaks here and there, I had been planning on giving her the makeover she really deserved. This past year I found a local shop that would help make her brand new! I never did take that road trip up the east coast. But even more exciting, I now plan on using the van for all things Fellows! Road trips for sourcing, transporting clothes, and setting up for local pop ups! So hey, if by chance you see a big yellow van driving round there’s sure to be some good vintage found.
