Mobile boutiques are all the rage in southern California—and theyre spreading across the U.S..

Take a clapped out， almost fit-for-scrap van. Scrub the insides well. Add some shelves， good lighting， hardwood floors and a brightly colored exterior. Now you have the makings of one of the hottest new trends in Los Angeles： the fashion truck.

The concept is simple—a mobile boutique that delivers style to the masses wherever they congregate： on the roadside， at craft fairs， art walks and farmers markets. Their unofficial motto？Have truck， will travel. For the sartorially conscious Angeleno， anything that increases the opportunity to enjoy a spot of retail therapy without sitting in nose-to-bumper traffic is most welcome.

Recycling old vehicles for mobile business use is nothing new in southern California. Food trucks have graced the streets of the City of Angels for over five years， serving fusion dishes such as Korean BBQ tacos， Japanese fried chicken and bacon infused waffles served with ice cream.

Not surprisingly， food trucks have provided the inspiration for many store-on-wheels owners， including Stace Steffe， co-founder of LAs first mobile boutique， Le Fashion Truck. For a number of years， Steffe sold vintage bags at crafts fairs and investigated the possibility of opening her own store when she spotted a food truck at an event. “It arrived and people just lined up， really excited about being part of this new movement. I was looking for an easier， fun， more creative way of doing business and could see how going mobile could work just as well for fashion.”

Steffe and her business partner， Jeanine Romo opened the door to their mobile business in January 2011. Now， almost thirty fashion trucks operate in Los Angeles. It is， says Steffe， a very female oriented affair. “Around 95% of mobile boutiques in southern California are run by women， selling womens clothes.”

LA is not alone in the expansion of the fashion truck movement. There are now over 300 mobile stores across the United States. This led Steffe to create the American Mobile Retailers Association； a trade body that offers training and advice to would-be truck entrepreneurs.

This growth has also caught the attention of veterans in the style trade. “Fashion trucks are changing the way retailers think about their business，” says Ilse Metchek， president of the California Fashion Association. “Trucks wont replace brick and mortar stores but they have a strong following in the fast fashion crowd. If youre looking for high-end designers， you wont find them in trucks， but anything that encourages people to try new trends is a good thing.”

But getting into the fashion truck business isnt cheap. Updating a commercial truck and launching a mobile venture can cost between$20，000 and $30，000. This includes the cost of inventory， truck and liability insurance， refurbishment and licensing. Even with an initial budget running into the thousands， opening a mobile store is still cheaper than renting space in a shopping mall， which could cost as much as $10，000 per month.

Some new truck owners have successfully cut costs， like Monique Cruz， owner of Selvedge Dry Goods， an eco-friendly fashion truck based in Los Angeles. “I bought my truck from a man in the desert， so it was full of oil and sand. Once it was clean， friends helped to install shelves， flooring， lights and a fitting area. The total start-up cost was $10，000. Little girls love it. They want to live in my truck！”

With a background in childrens clothing design and merchandising， Cruz has been able to tackle one of the biggest obstacles to running a successful truck retail business—marketing. With no fixed abode， mobile retailers rely on social media， blog posts and word of mouth to let customers know where theyll be on a given day， a challenge in a city where finding a parking spot is the equivalent of winning the lottery.

“Facebook and Twitter are integral to our business， but weve also made it inviting for walk-in customers. I set out a “Welcome”sign， along with a few items to let passersby know its safe to come in， especially men with their wives or girlfriends. But our brightly colored exterior is one of the best marketing tools we have.” says Cruz.

Bright， over the top and so eye-catching， the truck designs are so distinctive you may find yourself admiring the outside of the vehicle rather than stepping inside to peruse the merchandise.

“Wherever you are， you have to be seen. Your truck is your brand， and you have to stand out from the crowd，” says Jordana Fortaleza， co-founder of JD Luxe. Created in 2011， the JD Luxe team started with a bright yellow 1976 electric truck， then upgraded to a tomato-red wrapper before settling on a crisp white design complete with a palm tree decal and neon pink writing. Theres no way you can miss the 20ft truck.

Like any new trend， the fashion truck has its downfalls. Older vehicles can be temperamental and often break down. “I worry every time we head to an event thats a long way from home，” says Monique Cruz.“If you break down in an unknown area， it can be really hard to get out. And expensive.”

Theres also the issue of permits， parking and staying on the right side of the law. In some parts of southern California， there are no regulations in place for fashion trucks. “Its all so new，” says Stace Steffe from Le Fashion Truck. “Officials at City Hall in Los Angeles recently admitted theyd never heard of fashion trucks， nor did they know so many were on LAs streets. So for now， in some parts of Los Angeles， trucks are restricted to private events and parking lots. This really changes how we do business.”

In other areas such as Santa Monica fashion truckers are welcome to trade from the street， but they have to abide by parking regulations， feed the voracious meter and make sure they get a peddlers permit.

“I love the quirkiness of the fashion trucks and it feels a lot more personal than going to a traditional store，” says shopper Pamela Dickson. “I thought the trucks would be cramped inside， but there were around four of us in there， and it was fine—even a space to try stuff on.”

So， fashion trucks are a hit. With customers， they provide flexibility for owners and even celebrities are intrigued by their existence. But is the fashion truck a movement？ Or a moment？

“Fashion trucks are here to stay，” says Ilse Metchek from the California Fashion Association. “I see it more as a stepping stone to a brick and mortar store for many entrepreneurs， but there are some who are making a viable business out of being strictly mobile. It will be interesting to see how the movement evolves.”

The appeal of the fashion truck is evident among three groups of entrepreneurs： first-time business owners； traders who lost their stores due to the economic downturn and are now reinventing their brand； and traditional brick and mortar operations who now use fashion trucks for promotional purposes.

“Every day I get calls and emails from around the world asking， ‘How do I start a fashion truck business？” says Stace Steffe. “If the number of enquiries we receive everyday is an indicator of interest in this form of running a business， then the fashion truck movement will only continue to grow.”

So， if youre thinking of going mobile with your business， just remember its not for the faint of heart. “Do it！” says Monique Cruz. “Just find a good truck. And a great mechanic！”

移動时装店在南加州十分盛行， 而且正在全美流行起来。

找一辆破旧的，几乎可以拿去废品回收站的小货车，把车的内部粉刷好，放上几个货架，装几盏灯，铺上硬木地板，把车身外层涂上鲜艳的颜色，你就拥有了洛杉矶此时最流行的潮流新品之一：时装卡车。

其中的概念很简单——一个移动时装店把服饰带到人群聚集的地方：路边、工艺品市集、农产品市场。他们的非官方格言——有卡车便能上路。对服装触觉敏锐的洛杉矶人，只要能不受塞车之苦，任何能够使零售业回暖的方式都无限欢迎。

在南加州，回收旧车来进行移动商业已不是什么新鲜事了。流动餐车在过去五年已为这个天使之城的街道增色不少，流动餐车出售的食品种类繁多，如韩国烤肉卷、日式炸鸡和培根华夫饼加雪糕。

当然了，流动餐车给很多流动商铺的店主提供了灵感，斯泰斯·斯特弗就是其中一位，她是洛杉矶第一间移动时装店——时装卡车——的合伙人之一。斯特弗曾在工艺品市场卖了好几年的复古包，她看到流动餐车后就开始着手调研，看能否开一家自己的店。“车开来后，人们就在外面排队，非常兴奋地参与这个新的潮流。我那时想找到一个轻松点、有趣、更加创新的做生意方式，我知道流动性对于时装行业来说也是适用的。”

斯特弗和她的生意合作伙伴简宁·罗莫在2011年1月开始他们的移动生意。现在，在洛杉矶差不多有30辆时装卡车在营业。斯特弗说这是一个高度女性化的行业。“在南加州，大概95%的移动时装店店主都是女性，卖的也都是女性服装。”

这股时装卡车潮流不仅仅是在洛杉矶盛行。现在全美国已有300多个移动商铺。斯特弗因此成立了美国移动零售业协会——这个贸易组织为即将成为卡车老板的人提供培训和建议。

一些在服饰行业颇有经验的人也正在关注这股风潮。“时装卡车正在改变零售业商人对这个行业的看法，”伊尔斯·梅特切克说道，伊尔斯是加州时装协会的主席。“卡车商铺不会取代实体商店，但卡车商铺在喜欢快时尚的群体中有很多支持者。你要是想买高级设计师的服装肯定不会去卡车商铺，但人们去尝试新事物总是一件好事。”

然而，开始这门生意的成本并不低。翻新一辆商用货车和开始一门移动生意的成本大概要两万到三万美元。这包括了进货、购买卡车和责任保险、翻新和申请营业证照的费用。虽然启动资金的预算要几万美元，经营一个移动商铺的成本还是比在商场租一个摊位要低，商场的租金可能高达一万美元一个月。

一些新的卡车商铺店主成功地缩减了成本，比如莫尼克·克鲁兹，他是洛杉矶的一家环保型移动时装店“Selvedge Dry Goods”的老板。他说：“我在沙漠中买了这辆车，刚买来时到处都是沙子和油污。清洗干净后，我的朋友帮忙安装货架、铺地板、安装灯具、搭建试衣间。初始成本一共是一万美元。小女孩都很喜欢我的车，她们还想住在里面！”

凭借着童装设计和销售的经验，克鲁兹解决了成功经营卡车零售业一个最大的难题——营销。由于没有固定的场地，移动零售商依靠社交媒体、博客和口头宣传来让顾客们知道他们当天会在哪里，在找到停车位就跟中了彩票似的这么个城市里，这也是个挑战。

“脸书和推特帮助我们推广生意，但我们也会设法吸引路过的顾客进店选购。我们会放置一个“欢迎”的标志和一些商品在车外，好让路过的人知道他们可以放心进来，尤其是那些和妻子、女友在一起的男性。但我们颜色鲜艳的车身是其中一个最好的营销工具。”克鲁兹说。

鲜艳、出众又吸引眼球，这些卡车的设计如此特别，你或许更乐意欣赏货车的外部设计，而不想进去细看商品。

“不管在哪里，你都要让别人看到你。你的卡车就是你的品牌，你必须要鹤立鸡群，”乔丹娜·福塔雷萨说，她是JD Luxe的一位合伙人。JD Luxe团队在2011年组成，开始时是一辆涂了鲜黄色的1976年电动卡车，后来改良为西红柿般的红色，而现在车身底色是纯白色的，上面有棕榈树图案贴纸和粉色霓虹灯拼写的字。这辆20英尺长的车绝对吸引眼球。

正如所有的新兴潮流一样，時装卡车也会有其不足之处。旧货车用起来时好时坏，车坏了也是常有的事。“每次去离家很远的地方做生意我都会很担心，”莫尼克·克鲁兹说。“要是车在一个不熟悉的地方坏掉会很麻烦的，还要花很多钱。”

还有许可证、停车和合法性方面的问题要解决。南加州的一些地方没有给时装车固定的停车点。“这太新鲜了，”“时装卡车”的店主斯泰斯·斯特弗说。“洛杉矶市政厅的官员最近称他们没听说过时装车，他们也不知道在洛杉矶大街上有这么多这样的车。因此，到目前为止，在洛杉矶一些地方，这些车只能停在私人场所和露天停车场中。这些因素确实改变了我们做生意的方式。”

其他地方如圣塔莫尼卡则欢迎时装卡车在街道做生意，但店主必须要遵守停车规则，给贪婪的计时器付费，还要确保得到了商贩经营许可证。

“我喜欢时装车的不同寻常，比起去传统的商店，这感觉更私人化，”消费者帕梅拉·迪克森说道。“我以为里面会很窄，但我们四个人在这里也不会觉得拥挤——这里甚至还有试衣间。”

因此，时装车很受欢迎。它们为店主和顾客提供了灵活性，甚至有名人对此颇感兴趣。可是，这时装车是一场运动还是一个现象呢？

“时装车会继续存在，”加州时装协会的伊尔斯·梅特切克说。“我更觉得这是许多商人迈向建立实体商店的一块踏脚石，但也有人就单做移动商铺也做得红红火火的。看看这场运动如何发展将会是很有趣的。”

时装车对三类商人最有吸引力：第一次做生意的店主；因经济低迷而倒闭的商人，他们正重新恢复自己的品牌；传统商家，他们现在利用时装车来进行宣传。

“每天我都会接到或收到来自全世界各地的电话和邮件，问我‘我该如何开始时装车生意？”斯泰斯·斯特弗说。“如果我们每天收到的咨询代表了人们对这种商业形式的兴趣，那么时装车运动只会继续发展。”

因此，如果你在考虑开始进行移动生意，你要记住要有坚强的意志。“行动起来吧！”莫尼克·克鲁兹说。“找辆好点的卡车，和一个汽车修理工就行了！”