Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
SPANISH FORK — A hybrid social-shopping experience run out of a school bus is gaining notoriety among young Utahns for its ability to offer a unique vintage clothing shopping experience.
From being temporarily shut down by the police to experiencing spikes in business that have left them without inventory to sell at times, the ironically named Not A Thrift Store has experienced its fair share of bumps in the road. However, this hasn't stopped its young operators from working long days and nights to expand their brand of kindness, inclusivity and vintage clothing.
Kaysen Stevens, a young entrepreneur from Spanish Fork, purchased his first school bus at the age of 15, after selling homemade caramel apples door to door, with the intention of using the bus as a hangout space for him and his friends. He had no clue then that he would go on to use the bus to start a mobile thrift store that would go on to sell upwards of 300-500 pieces of clothing in every city it parks in.
Initially, the plan was to use the renovated bus as an Airbnb rental when he and his friends weren't using it; however, he quickly discovered that he wasn't equipped financially to seriously renovate the dilapidated bus. Last year, Stevens said that the idea came to him to begin selling clothes that he'd been meaning to get rid of out of the bus to raise money to renovate the bus into a rental space.
"I've always wanted to open up a thrift store, and I had this bus, I had my brick-and-mortar, and so I thought I could throw up some hangers and sell some clothes to raise money for this Airbnb project," said Stevens.
"At first it was super slow," he said. "I'd be sitting in the bus for three to four hours with no one coming in. I was posting on TikTok and one day, one of the TikToks blew up and there was this massive line that formed."
Eventually, the spot became so popular and had caused so much foot traffic in Stevens' neighborhood that the police intervened, telling Stevens that he was not allowed to run such a big business in a residential area. Summing up the situation, Stevens said that the thrift bus had become "bigger than a lemonade stand."
In October 2023, he was able to purchase another school bus, which unlike the first one that had remained parked in his backyard, was able to run. He began taking the bus to different cities every week and acting as a mobile thrift store — ironically called "Not A Thrift Store" — ultimately attracting a formidable following with over 52,000 followers on its Instagram page and over 11,000 followers on its TikTok page.
Now 19, Stevens has left primary operation of the thrift bus to his older brother, Trae Stevens, and a fan-turned-employee, Collin McLaughlin, who tour around in the bus, stopping at different cities every week. Stevens, meanwhile, works out of state selling solar services door to door to help raise funds to expand his Not a Thrift Store business and a suite of future businesses that the young entrepreneur hopes to run one day.
The Stevens brothers and McLaughlin said the mobile thrift store has grown into more than just a retail operation. They see an opportunity to make the pop-up thrift store into a communal experience where people can meet each other and hang out while shopping for vintage clothing.
"It's cool traveling to different cities and seeing how people take it in," said Trae Stevens, adding that smaller towns especially are really eager to have the thrift bus come into town. "It's cool to bring people together and bring excitement to these different towns."
For having only been mobile for four months, the Not a Thrift Store bus has covered an impressive amount of ground, having visited more than 15 cities in Utah, with that number steadily increasing by the week.
Kaysen Stevens said in the near future, he wants to collaborate with local food trucks and communities to build the Not A Thrift Store brand by holding communal events that draw people with similar interests together to socialize and enjoy fun events together.
"We want to make our own merch and sell it," said McLaughlin, with the three saying that Not A Thrift Store branded merchandise is on its way and should premiere in the coming months.
In addition to expanding their ability to bring communities together and making their own merchandise, the Stevens brothers and McLaughlin said that they are planning to eventually visit cities outside of Utah as their online following grows and commenters from all parts of the U.S. plead with the young entrepreneurs to visit their city.
Trae Stevens explained that the Not A Thrift Store brand is currently focused on being more "purpose-based," adding that they are currently working on an anti-bullying campaign with the working title of "a seat for everyone."
Trae Stevens said that the campaign and the brand's focus on promoting a "pro-kindness" culture is important to the Stevens brothers because it is a way to honor their grandmother, Jeneal "Jeanie" Stevens, a school bus driver who was killed in an accident in 2001 while driving the Bear River High School basketball team to an away game. She had to make evasive maneuvers to try to avoid a collision with a semitruck after encountering an unexpected traffic blockage, safely guiding the bus into an embankment but sustaining injuries that would claim her life.
"She was very well known for being kind, and we want to take her purpose and continue it," said Trae Stevens, explaining that their grandmother never tolerated any sort of bullying on her school bus.
Members of the community consider Jeanie Stevens to be a hero and credit her with successfully maneuvering the school bus to avoid an accident that could've been much more fatal for the 50 students and staff on board. A park in Tremonton has since been named in her honor.
For the founder and operators of the Not a Thrift Store bus, the business isn't just a way to build their entrepreneurial careers but a way to bring joy, excitement and friendship to the communities that it visits.
Vanessa Stevens, Trae and Kaysen's mother, says she is very proud of what her sons are doing with their business. Early on in the Stevens boys' lives, they worked alongside their mother in a boutique candy shop that was operated by the family — hence why Kaysen Stevens later turned to selling homemade caramel apples to raise the money he needed to buy the school bus that would start it all.
"I'm super proud of them," said Vanessa Stevens about her sons. "They're so driven, smart and successful — they're awesome boys."
