Mary Hopf knew she wanted to open a jewelry store. It was something she’d thought about a lot in recent years, and this summer was when Hopf expected her dream to finally turn into a reality.
She just never envisioned her store would be on four wheels and live in the back of a utility truck. The Moonshine Truck, which for you booze hounds out there does not have or sell any alcohol whatsoever, made its debut on Black Friday and has been seen at various spots in and around Concord. The name was just something Hopf liked.
“I like that it has the moonshine, boozy aspect,” said Hopf. “I wanted something that had a double personality. It’s the old bait and switch.”
When the idea of opening a store in the conventional sense turned out to be a little bit outside of Hopf’s budget, she started to think outside the box.
She wanted the focus to be on jewelry and didn’t need a whole lot of space. Somewhere along the way she took to Google to see if anyone had ever used a truck for a mobile store.
“Who the (heck) thinks you can start a store on wheels?” said Hopf.
Turns out Hopf was not the first person on earth to think up the idea, so she did some more research. It appeared that a number of people had done quite well with a portable store, and that was all she needed to see.
Hopf met with a business advisor and set out to find the right rolling store. Like many people looking for a deal, Hopf scoured Craigslist, and in September, she found an old Boston Edison Utility Truck.
“I couldn’t afford a new one,” said Hopf.
Since being retired as a company truck, it had been turned into a tool shed on wheels for a contractor. It was a little rough around the edges, but Hopf had a vision. The truck is 6 1/2 feet tall and 10 feet long in the back, which has turned out to be just the right amount of space.
But before Hopf could even think about putting a single piece of jewelry in the back of the Moonshine, there was a lot of work to be done. The first order of business was to get it to a repair shop, have it inspected and fix anything that was wrong.
After a three-week stay, the Moonshine was ready for its face lift. The back of the truck was cleaned and gutted. There was no room for its last use to blend in with its future.
“It was a work truck. It was disgusting, filthy and had never been cleaned,” said Hopf. “We spent a couple days just cleaning it.”
There were a few hurdles to overcome in the design phase, most notably the generator box and wheel wells. And since Hopf could not remove either one because there would be a hole in the side of the truck, she instead used them in the design.
The inside was stripped down to the metal walls, framed and even outfitted with crown molding along the top. A hardwood floor was put down, and the walls painted a neutral white so as to not overwhelm people in the small space with a crazy color.
“Once we cleaned it out, I could look at what I had to work with,” said Hopf.
Shelves were built, new electrical wiring was run for lights run off long-lasting battery packs and some displays were built in. The only thing it lacks is heat, which is not a big deal this time of year.
“Everything is finished off,” said Hopf. “It’s nicer than a lot of apartments.”
After more than two months of slaving away, including a sweet new paint job for the outside and the addition of the truck’s logo, Hopf was ready for the world to see her store. But not all at once, because space is limited. It is a truck, of course.
“The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was when I finally put everything in the truck,” said Hopf.
Since Hopf must drive her store everywhere, she had to figure out the best way to transport her goods. Some stay on the walls thanks to the use of bungee cords, while the remainder are stored in Tupperware bins and put back out once she arrives at a destination. Hopf said it takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to set up the store, depending on how much of a hurry she wants to be in.
“You just have to walk around in a circle a million times,” said Hopf.
She has necklaces, earrings and bracelets, as well as scarves, purses and other various knickknacks. With such a modest space to work with, Hopf only carries a couple of each item, which also serves another purpose: She wants her inventory to be fresh whenever someone visits – and at an affordable price.
“I don’t want things to feel stagnant,” said Hopf. “Whether a week has passed or two months have passed, I want you to see new stuff.”
So far, Hopf has only opened a few different times. She set up shop at Midnight Merriment and was at Company C on Saturday. The holidays are a test run of sorts for her.
But the biggest advantage that Hopf has with her store is that if the location does not work out, she can simply drive away. It’s not like she is locked into a long-term lease.
“I can try one place and if it doesn’t work I don’t have to go back there,” said Hopf.
The end goal is to have a set schedule so people will know when and where the Moonshine Truck will be, but there is no timetable for that right now. Hopf is just seeing how things go.
“This is just the next thing I wanted to do,” said Hopf.
But to find out what she is up to, check out her various forms of social media. She is on Facebook, Instagram and Vine with the name Moonshine Truck. As for Twitter, Hopf was forced to settle for @ThisisMoonshine because of Bruno Mars. Apparently the singer had a tour, called Moonshine Jungle, and his merchandise truck took the Twitter handle of @MoonshineTruck, although it has no followers or tweets. Hopf’s attempts to contact Mars and his people have been unsuccessful. Go figure, a celebrity ignoring the little people.
So if you see the Moonshine Truck, stop in for a drink. Wait, make that a quick shopping trip.
“Obviously it’s a truck, so if you want something weird then come on over,” said Hopf.
