Big Dreams, Small Space: Building a Queer Business from Our RV Home
Allie turned to me with her short red hair backlit against the tinted RV window.
“Let's start a small business.”
Her voice was as certain as when she would say she wanted to go yarn shopping.
We were two months into living full-time on the road and finding out for ourselves that videos and blogs can only tell you so much when it comes to the day-to-day reality of living in a tiny rolling home. Still catching our stride—we are the kind of women who dive in headfirst to almost every challenge, ready to laugh at the mistakes we make as we fumble our way through.
I jumped to my feet, found one of my many not-yet-used notebooks, and the two of us listed our thoughts and ideas about how we could build our small business. Even without degrees or experience as entrepreneurs, we could imagine ourselves doing whatever it would take to realize our dream.
Our Background Stories
Allie, always flexible and imaginative in her educational pursuits, holds an Undergraduate Degree in Sociology and a Master's Degree in Education. She chose to study sociology because of her desire to learn about how the people shape the world and how the world shapes people. She remains passionate about continuing to learn new things while supporting and empowering young people in their learning journeys as a nanny, tutor, classroom aide, and now a substitute teacher. Although she didn’t set out to be an entrepreneur, her love of learning is what makes her a great artist and small business owner, as she creates and perfects products and manages several social media platforms.
Meanwhile, I (Danella) pursued my love of writing and my interest in educating myself more about feminism and constructs surrounding gender and sexuality during my undergraduate degree. Earning a BA in both English and Gender Studies meant I took many courses that crossed between the two disciplines—my favorites including “Flappers, Flirts and Gentlemen,” “Queer Literature,” as well as “Women, Progress and Power.” My studies inspired me, and I then completed a Master’s Degree in Adult Education. My formal education has played a significant role in my personal and professional life. I owe my deeper understanding of myself, others, and the world around me to my incredible professors, courses, and experiences during my college years. My formal education is entrenched in the work I do today as a part-time writer, substitute teacher, and with Wander Free and Queer. I came to running a small business without knowing how to file taxes, take professional photographs, or develop a website, but my yearning for learning along with my passion for our brand has enabled me to acquire new knowledge and skills that I am grateful for and enjoy.
Why Wander Free and Queer?
From the beginning, we wanted our business name to represent who we are and what we are experiencing as queer people who travel. We knew others who wished to explore, but were likely also experiencing a lack of representation in the adventure sphere. We founded the name for our brand over a gigantic ice cream sundae at one of our favorite Portland, Maine restaurants, The Great Lost Bear. We listed many ideas, some shying away from placing the word “Queer” in our name, others centering it to highlight and reinforce the importance of visibility. We finally decided on Wander Free and Queer as it brought all of our passions together. It. Just. Fit.
A queer couple dedicated to living creative lives, we are always learning about ourselves, our communities, and our cultures, as well as about the widely diverse landscapes we visit. It’s an education every time we take a scenic drive, hike trails, and raft rivers, or when visiting local shops and markets or attending community events, and by educating ourselves on the areas we visit.
On our recent trip to Crater Lake National Park, we discovered how the lake was formed—through the explosion and collapse of the composite volcano, Mount Mazama, over 7,700 years ago. That the Indigenous people who have inhabited this area continue their tradition of vision quests on the lands surrounding the lake. That the only legal access point to the lake’s shore will be closed at the end of the 2025 season for repairs that will take several years before reopening. Crater Lake became more than a tourist destination for us, which is true for most of our travels. We seek to be in community with nature and people along the way, no matter which direction we're headed.
Our Love for Fiber Art
We expanded our crochet skills and talents shortly before moving into our RV and continued practicing stitches and patterns as we took on the challenge of grasping how to live full-time in our RV. For example, on the same day we mastered how to change the oil in our onboard generator, we also sat down together to take on creating our nature-inspired beanies. We had previously loved crochet as a leisure activity, so when thinking about starting a business, we knew we wanted fiber art to be at the core. When not out adventuring we are crafting in our home on wheels, designing and crocheting and dreaming up everything from stickers and magnet designs to comfy cozy cowls. From the start of building our dream business idea, we had the goal of integrating the many facets of who we are.
How could we connect all of these parts of ourselves together? How could we uplift and empower our fellow LGBTQ+ friends? How could we forge a path forward from our big hearts while living in our small home?
We decided we could integrate our love for adventure, passion for visibility and representation in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as our ingenuity for constructing products that showcase both our love for the outdoors and our queer identities by founding Wander Free and Queer as the brand that allows us to represent who we are and what we are experiencing.
We started our Etsy Shop in early 2018. It was a lengthy learning curve as we spent our first winter exploring how to photograph, market, and package items that we shipped all over the country. That year we attended our local Portland, Maine Farmer’s Market for the first time, setting up a single six-foot table on Saturday mornings to sell our original headbands design. When fall came a few months later, we made scarves and cowls in a variety of colors.
One of our early market booth photos with headbands, cup and jar cozies, as well as colorful cowls.
We left the east coast for Florida in late 2018 and our first warm winter in our RV throughout 2018-2019. We attended local markets and fairs as vendors while expanding our crochet offerings, adding in colors and options for headbands and scarves. We hosted informal get-togethers for nearby LGBTQ+ RVers. From local walks to evening fires, we connected with the many friends we met on social media from the beginning of our journey. We developed our first crochet rainbow to see it become one of our staple items since. This little rainbow sells as a keychain, ornament, and car charm to show pride and/or allyship to the LGBTQ+ community, small enough to fit into vans, campers, and RVs.
We intended to expand our business by adding more community events, but the onset of COVID meant we had to pivot. We put those plans on hold and refocused, concentrating on building and growing our Etsy and Instagram communities throughout 2019 and into 2020. Wanting to offer more items, we developed our rainbow heart garland and bath and body line of products. We considered what it might be like to use our growing social media platforms to work with brands in partnerships that would highlight and showcase their dedication to inclusivity and representation. You can find us on many social media platforms by clicking the links below.
With our growing audience and our growing product line came our first big pride event in Denver, Colorado in June 2020. We invested in a sturdy tent, tables, chairs, and display items to prepare for a larger setup than we were used to, and we crocheted till our hands hurt! We commissioned a particularly valued traveler to come up with a logo for us during this time that we put on stickers, magnets, and keychains for the Denver pride event. Having a logo meant we were legit. We put the logo on stickers, on our Instagram page, on t-shirts, and we continue to use our logo as our brand vision is brought to life.
With growth comes challenges. We observed that living in under 250 square feet while running a small business meant constantly running out of storage space for our yarn, display items, and finished product. We quickly filled our cabinets inside the RV, and then moved to the outside bays. We began by using bins and soon realized that vacuum-sealed bags saved room and kept our yarn fresh and new. We next labeled all of our bins and bags of products so that we could easily open a bay and know what was inside. Fast forward a few years and we now rent a 10x10 storage unit to house 90% of our small business items and inventory. Along with the bin, bag, and labeling system, shelving provides an easy visual of where to find what.
Beyond the logistics of running our small business from our small space, we learned to work together. As we developed our soap savers, face rounds, and body scrubbies for our bath and body product line, we bickered over colors and patterns. We clashed as we considered how to go about storing our chunky cowls. Developing communication skills takes some practice. Many RV couples will tell you that living with your partner in close quarters means you learn to deal with issues quickly and efficiently—a skill that we still have to practice regularly.
Over the past couple of years, we have settled into our complementary roles. More than dividing and conquering, we work together to remind ourselves and each other that we are flexible, adaptable, and versatile individuals, sharing the load and bouncing ideas between us.
Allie is the creator, product designer, and the fire behind Wander Free and Queer’s fiber arts. She develops all crocheted products that we offer from scratch and works diligently to perfect every item before I learn how to make them for sale. Allie is also the voice of our social media. She spends hours every day filming and editing content, chatting online, and offering information about travel, LGBTQ+ community, and RV living. Her creative brain has made her a part-time photographer, crochet instructor, and advertising and PR expert.
I, Danella, work more on keeping the mechanics of running a business greased. I take on the task of understanding our business as a legal and financial entity, applying to markets and fairs, and handling the logistics of short and long-term business planning. I also handle the design and production of our merchandise line of products and learn how to crochet many of the items Allie has perfected for online orders and upcoming events. I have become a part-time accountant, bookkeeper, photographer, and customer service representative for our brand.
We aspire to keep growing our small business over time. Last year we hosted a queer campout weekend and worked with more than a dozen brands to promote their inclusivity on our social media platforms. Mt. Hood Territory, the official tourism board of Clackamas County, sponsored our campsites and covered some of the out-of-pocket costs for first-time campers! Coffeehouse 26, Mt. Hood Outfitters, and Hoodland Shuttle are among many of the note-worthy sponsors who volunteered products, time, and services to our campers. We love any opportunity to share our experience and offer education and resources to our travel community, so our campout weekend was especially fulfilling for us.
This year we are launching our Wander Free and Queer Collective on our very own website. We strive to spend our money at shops and with artists who we know align with our values and beliefs. This has become increasingly important to us in our current political climate. Our money is sometimes how we use our voice to stand behind the things most important to us. In response to that idea, we have curated a one-stop-queer-friendly-shopping experience that will have all of our products available, as well as products of artists we have come to know and love who show their support to our community!
We look forward to the next couple of years, which will include more community events and opportunities to bring together our love for travel, RV living, and crochet art specifically to our LGBTQ+ friends and family.
