Read about Sutton RV in Eugene Weekly’s article: “Airstreaming -Rebirth of the trailerite”
http://eugeneweekly.com/2010/04/01/coverstory.html
Here is a snippet:
Airstreaming
Rebirth of the trailerite
by Camilla Mortensen
Craigslist after midnight isn’t the best idea for those of us who can be a bit impulsive. You can find everything on that online flea market from cute puppies to rental housing to truly frightening personal ads. Me? I found an Airstream.
One day I’m living in an apartment in downtown Eugene; a couple shots of whiskey on sleepless night and a quick haul with my biodiesel-powered truck later, and all of a sudden I’m parked out in a field somewhere living in a vintage 29-foot 1975 Airstream Ambassador.
Except for those cold mornings when it’s below 50 degrees inside my trailer and I’m hiding under my blankets crossing my freezing fingers that the propane water heater (also vintage) didn’t go out in the middle of the night and I can warm up with a hot shower, it’s pretty awesome. Those less awesome mornings I call it the Air-cicle. Airstreams are solidly built, but not exactly well insulated inside that aluminum shell.
Living in a silver Twinkie makes for interesting conversations and a reliable way of weeding out the wrong guy on a first date. You get one of three reactions when you answer the question of, “So where do you live?” with “In an Airstream trailer.”
First there’s “What’s an Airstream?” which is a sure sign he’s been living under a rock for his whole life, and that’s not good. Then there’s the look of vague horror some guys get, leading me to suspect he’s picturing pink flamingos, Christmas lights up all year and pit bulls (which isn’t far from the truth, really). And then there’s the best reaction, “An Airstream? Cool! I’ve always wanted an Airstream.”
That last reaction is one many of us have: I’ve always wanted an Airstream. Airstreams appeal to hipsters and retirees, kids, teens and those of us who read Tom Robbins and thought it would be cool to live in a vehicle altered to look like a giant roast turkey. New or used, people haul them, live in them, fix them up or sometimes just fixate on them.
Airstream Sales Central
After I got my Airstream, the need for things like sewage hoses and electrical attachment thingies led me to discover that Eugene is something of an Airstream epicenter thanks to Sutton RV. Sutton’s the biggest Airstream dealer on the West Coast, and the second largest Airstream dealer, not only in the nation but in the world, according to sales manager Eric Benson. Yup, that’s right, in the world. Sutton RV is only seven silver bullet-shaped recreational vehicles away from world Airstream domination.
Benson says Sutton RV keeps 50 to 60 shiny new Airstreams on its lot out on West 7th and sells out that inventory each month. Used Airstreams purchased by Sutton or taken in trade, he says, are almost always already spoken for. They rarely make it to the lot before they’re sold. And believe me, Airstreams are selling these days.
“The downturn in the economy brought more people to the Airstream lifestyle,” says Benson.
To read the rest of the article, visit Eugene Weekly.com.
