Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Richards and Liz Ebersole.
Hi Allison and Liz, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It’s been quite the journey to get to be where we are and boy, are we thankful for every part of it! We started building and refinishing custom furniture and during that, in 2018, we built our own campervan to travel in with our dogs. We fell in love with this way of traveling and were so happy to be able to bring our dogs with us all over the country! We then decided to buy another van to try and build to sell and we were surprised at how quickly it sold. In 2020, we became an official business and From then on, it was very easy to keep buying, building and selling. Since then, we have built 60 vans! We have vans all over the country and even one that lived in Alaska for a while and a large Safe and Sonder family! We also have incorporated rentals to our business and we currently have 3 rentals. We did have 4, but we just sold one this year. Our rentals are a huge hit and we have had multiple custom builds develop from people renting from our fleet!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. Nothing is ever that simple! We had to learn how to operate a business, taxes, write offs, etc. We have had to learn to be relevant in a male dominated field and us being two females has been a big reason why many of our clients chose us for their builds. It’s also been a constant battle to continue to stay relevant in a highly saturated field. There are so many great van builders out there and we have to keep up with social media, our website and trends so that we don’t fall behind! Balancing work and life when you own your own business is always tough too. It feels like we are always working, but if we aren’t, then who will be? All of these struggles are 100% worth it to be able to do what we do!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
In short form, we build custom campervans for people to do part time or full time living. We build campervans out of cargo van shells! We take empty chassis and build them into comfy little apartments on wheels. They come equipped with some form of a bathroom, fridge/freezer, showers, a kitchen, a place to sleep, etc. We specialize in customizing the entire build, from all wood cabinetry to adding little pockets of comfort for each client. All of our vans are similar, yet different. We let each client pick their designs and colors and add in what suits them the best. As long as it’s within our wheelhouse, we are up to it! I think what makes us most proud is that we have been able to build this little Safe and Sonder empire, just the two of us. People know us as van builders, our friends and family are always inquiring about work and our vans. It’s become a major identity for us. So much that as a wedding gift, we received a large neon sign of our logo. It’s just part of who we are. I think what sets us apart is our small town feel with a big town result. We are humble, incredibly open and transparent, but we can produce incredible vans with a luxury feel.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
It’s very hard for us to even imagine 5-10 years down the road and have an ideal answer. We are very much go with the flow and spontaneous types of people. We would hope that vans are still relevant, Safe and Sonder would be hitting their 200th van build, our rental fleet is expanded and our S + S family is even larger. We are pursuing more stationary rentals, hipcamps, a future wedding venue, etc. We are two incredibly ambitious people and when you put two of us together, you can always expect a new project!
Pricing:
- We have a custom build tool on our webpage that allows clients to price out their builds. It’s very accurate to what their build will cost and we have so many people utilize it!
- We also have a budget build called Simply Sonder. This is a much cheaper version of a custom build that is strictly one layout, but the client can choose hardware, coloring and flooring.
- Our rentals range from $160-$190 per night with an insurance add on plus many selections of items they can add to improve their experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.safeandsondervans.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safe.and.sonder.vans/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/safe.and.sonder.vans/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@safeandsondervans
