Just before they were able to launch that dream, Andrea discovered she had Lyme disease. They sold the B&B and Andrea spent the next three years recovering from the late-diagnosed disease. When she was ready to work again she realized she didn’t want to go back to being a private chef just yet. Catering and restaurant work didn’t catch her eye, passion or attention either; but a neglected little Airstream begging for a polish and total renovation did. “Mobile eateries are really big on the west coast,” she said. “So I thought it would be fun to bring one to New York.” She bought the Airstream, a 1962 Globetrotter, and got to work. “While all my friends were off pursuing fabulous jobs I was wearing an apron and was attending, as they said, ‘cooking school’ which they thought was kind of matronly. A friend nicknamed me Mabel. I thought I could get rid of the name by passing it on to the Airstream.” She did and turned a once-lemon of a name into lemonade, and the Airstream into a one-of a kind, healthy food and drink dispenser. She camps in a 2004, 22’ Safari as well as towing Mabel. So she’s all Airstream, all the time. And more and more people are recognizing the pint-sized Globetrotter. “Mabel on the Move” is fast becoming a hit among those who prefer grass-fed beef hot dogs, organic salads and fresh vegetables, over the high-fat, high fructose food often found at fairs and festivals where Andrea and Mabel set up shop. “We banned all corn syrup and only use organic foods in all we serve,” Andrea said. “People like it. They don’t like eating high fat, greasy food and feeling sick.” From the drinks to the food fare – everything is in keeping with the “farm to table” philosophy Andrea embraces. “I think we may sell Mabel one day to someone who wants to take it to vintage car festivals – since she’s vintage and people love her. And I think I’ll get another Airstream and make it into a boutique or who knows what. I just know I love my Airstreams. I love the possibilities of them.”
automotive seatbelts. Thus, Malia was fully aware that Airstream trailers are not only a practical way for travelers to hit the road in comfort, but that the trailers can also make for eye-catching mobile promotions. The Harveys trailer catches many an eye on its branded jaunts through California and other Western states, where its gleaming appeal wows potential customers. “We mainly use it as a large billboard, a backdrop for our booth at events or to generate excitement in front of our retail stores. While on location, it doubles as a cash-wrap [safe] and back bar for our back stock,” says Malia. The trailer is a 2007 23’ International, which the company has owned for almost four years. They know all about Airstream’s cachet: prior to buying the newer model, they had a 1966 International that they used for shows for five years. Vintage objects figure into the company history—in 1997, founder Dana Harvey was installing seatbelts into his 1950 Buick, and decided to sew a handbag for his wife Melanie. According to Malia, “Everyone loved it so they made more, and more, and more. Now we have a large factory in Santa Ana, California, where each ‘Seatbeltbag’ is built and guaranteed tough, for life.” The company often sets up the Airstream at automotive-based venues, such as recent shows at the American Le Man races at Laguna Seca CA, NASCAR races in Sonoma AZ, then back to Laguna Seca later this year, and after that, Utah and
Arizona. Though no one uses the trailer to sleep in during business tours, the Harveys and their kids camp up and down the California coast in their leisure hours. To this point, the company has not modified their trailer interior for the business, but after recently seeing the Swiss Army Victorinox Airstream (see Interiors, this issue), they are considering altering the interior to mimic a showroom. Harveys obtains the seatbelts from automotive seatbelt manufacturers; some of the materials are available because they don’t meet seatbelt safety standards, but they make for a pretty sturdy purse. Melanie and Dana Harvey are co-designers of the bags, which come in a surprising variety of designs and sizes. They’ve also collaborated with a number of well-known artists and designers. The company has recently finished a video of the International being covered with the advertising decals, editing the film for style and panache. It will soon be available on their website. Malia explains that the Airstream is a source of interest on its own, though there may be a gender gap: “The women go crazy for our handbags while the men drool over the Airstream. It’s a nice combination. And we are always more than happy to accommodate an impromptu tour,” she says. It’s all part of that dual-purpose thing. As Malia says, “We love that it’s classic yet modern at the same time. Which is exactly the same thing we offer in our handbags.”
AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION • www.airstreamlife.com
WINTER 2010
Buckle Up Your Bags Malia O’Brien knows the value of multiple-use technologies. After all, she is the marketing director of Harveys, which designs and sells fashionable handbags made out of
10
This Airstream is seatbelt-equipped (even if they are handbags). “The women go crazy for our handbags while the men drool over the Airstream,” says Malia O’Brien.