By: Andrea Brown

One urban designer’s idea to raise awareness about the benefits of the mobile food trend is slowly turning into what some have called a “Food Cart Revolution” in Fayetteville.

Neil Heller created the Fayetteville Food Carts Facebook page to gain support and foster enthusiasm toward the food cart trend. His idea soon transformed into an “everything mobile” venture, from food to retail, he said.

“In today’s economy, getting a substantial loan is tough,” Heller said. “Using a mobile cart, such as an Airstream, allows for the business owner to get started at a relatively low initial cost.”

Once the mobile restaurant or café is established, the vendor can decide whether to open a brick and mortar restaurant, he said.

“This gives them options to grow,” Heller said.

Mobile vending also gives existing businesses the ability to downsize, if necessary, without having to shut down completely, he said.

Heller is working with Alderman Matthew Petty to amend the existing ordinance that prohibits permanent locations for mobile vendors.

“It mainly pertains to the little cart you might see on the sidewalk,” Heller said. “The main issue is the mobile vendor having to relocate and then reapply every 90 days.”

The goal is to give mobile vendors the ability to stay in one location permanently, he said.

“It is key that there be no prejudice in the ordinance toward mobile vendors. They are just like any other funky, local business,” Heller said.

Positive feedback on Heller’s Facebook page prompted him to meet with local architect Robert Sharp, who owns a parking lot at the corner of College and Trenton Avenues. There will be six Airstreams located on the College lot throughout the holiday season, he said.

Silver Stream Café is the most recent Airstream to open on the lot.

“We just launched a few weeks ago, but I wrote a business plan analysis, so I understand what my goal needs to be per day and what the margin needs to be,” said owner Angel Clower.

“It’s seasonal right now, so we’re going into winter and colder weather, and obviously I don’t expect to achieve that 50 percent per day or whatever that goal is at this point in time,” Clower said. “But I’m working toward it.”

One of the biggest advantages of using an Airstream is the low overhead cost, she said. Airstream owners don’t have to pay rent for a brick-and-mortar restaurant or store.

“I’m full-time, and then I have two part-timers. It keeps it simple. It keeps your overhead, both for payroll and utilities low,” Clower said. “I mean, anything can be executed in an Airstream without having that expense of having a true brick-and-mortar building.”

The economic benefits are not the only thing that attracted Clower to mobile vending. Her love for Airstreams came from growing up in a vintage environment. Her parents owned an antique shop and were always collecting things, she said.

“I just wanted to do something fun and creative that would stand the test of time, and I feel like the Airstream really speaks for that,” Clower said.

Molly Clark, who founded the Grey Dog Vintage Boutique last year, is the pioneer of the mobile vending trend on the College lot.

“I had that Airstream for four or five years before I decided to open up shop,” Clark said. “I liked the idea of being mobile, and I wanted an intimate space. So I thought, why not renovate it and use that?”

With help from a friend, Clark was able to do her own renovations to the Airstream at minimal cost.

“The novelty of it is a huge advantage,” Clark said. “It’s something different, and it catches people’s eye.”

But there are disadvantages to owning an Airstream on the College lot, too, Clark said. Running water isn’t readily available, and Clark’s trailer doesn’t have a restroom. The trailer allows very little storage space, she said.

“I have a lot of inventory that I have to keep at my house, just because I don’t have room in there,” Clark said. “So it would be nice to have the floor space just to show everything that I have.”

Since Clark’s space is limited, she must decide which pieces of inventory to display at a certain time to satisfy her customers’ wants and needs.

Clower gathers information from various demographics to decide what type of food to put on the menu.

“It’s about being adaptive, right? I just built this beautiful kitchen; it’s state-of-the-art, and I’m adapting to the needs and requests as well,” she said. “We’re doing some frittatas. We have a wonderful Ozark shiitake mushroom soup that’s going to be on the menu.”

Clower orders from Ozark Natural Foods and Sweden Creek Farm, which delivers fresh shiitake to the café every Tuesday. She buys from the Farmer’s Market to keep the food fresh and local. Clower also uses Wren Thicket Gardens, which is a part of the new winter Farmer’s Market.

“I try and support as many local farmers, bakers and growers as I can,” Clower said. “We’re looking at seasonal menus, of course, in order to do that.”

The Café is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturdays, but Clower plans on opening earlier to accommodate the breakfast crowd.