I gave up my last penny to buy an old school bus during lockdown – now I’ve transformed it into a luxury cocktail bar
A WOMAN has revealed how she turned an old school bus bought in lockdown into the luxury cocktail bar of her dreams.
The stunning conversion started out as a fantasy but has now become a lucrative side hustle.
Kate Packham, from Hove, Sussex, had worked in the catering business for 25 years before the pandemic left everything up in the air.
Hoping to make a bit of extra cash, she started looking around for alternative ways of continuing her work.
That’s when she spotted a 2001 International Bluebird bus, previously used as a school bus in Iowa, up for sale online.
The bright yellow motor caught Kate’s eye primarily because it had already had a commercial kitchen put in when it was used as a food truck stateside.
As Covid rules were relaxed, she spotted a gap in the market for outdoor, socially-distanced dining.
And so she took the bus, newly christened as Bella, down to her local park to sell sourdough toasties to locals enjoying the long-awaited end of stay-at-home orders.
Then, once the restrictions were lifted fully, she pivoted again, using Bella to cater weddings and other events.
The handy side hustle has been so successful that she’s even managed to buy up another bus, named Wolfie, which she turned into a luxury cocktail bar.
Kate has found that the two whacky venues have been particularly popular with US expats living this side of the pond, as well as those looking for a less traditional option for their weddings.
She told The Argus: “The buses turn a lot of heads.
“When people see a 5ft 3in blonde lady getting out of the passenger seat to fill up with petrol, they do a double take.”
The two buses now form the fleet for her company, Old Skool Bus Events, which can cater for everything from charity and corporate events to film sets and festivals.
The “food truck style menu” offers “bowl food feasts” like chilli con carne and ramen, as well as more “street food” inspired offerings like burgers and loaded fries.
On top of all that, Kate still serves up the original toasties that kicked off her school bus journey.
It’s certainly proved popular, too, as the firm is now up for a gong in the Quirky Wedding Awards.
Kate will be hoping for a big win in the Most Unique Catering competition, with the title set to be handed out on November 21.
It comes after another van enthusiast turned a disused fire engine into a two-storey camper, complete with its own hidden compartment.