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Written by RV Life Magazine
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Wednesday, 01 June 2011 00:00 |
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 Airstream, that iconic maker of stylish aluminum travel trailers and motorhomes, has always had a big presence on the West Coast: California is its biggest market, and two of its top three dealers are in Oregon.
But it has been lacking a dealership in western Washington. That has now changed with the arrival of Airstream Adventures Northwest to the Seattle area. Airstream Adventures Northwest opened its first outlet a year ago in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, and its second last month in Covington, just southeast of Seattle.
The new dealership occupies nearly seven acres on Covington Way, room enough, says owner Ted Davis, to place nearly 60 Airstreams on site so that buyers can find what they are looking for without waiting for a model to be ordered.
“If somebody comes in, we want them to be able to go on their adventures now, not have to wait,” Davis said.
He is also planning to offer on-site storage and a concierge service. When a customer wants to take his RV out of storage for a trip, the dealership will prepare it. “Call up in advance,” said Davis, “and we’ll wash the outside of the RV, top off the propane tanks, check the tires, check the battery, pre-cool your refrigerator/freezer, so all you have to do is come pick it up and you are good to go. And when you are done using it, bring it back and we’ll wash the exterior, dump the tanks for you, and put it back in storage until the next adventure.”
 Bob Wheeler, Airstream president and CEO, said he doesn’t know of another Airstream dealer providing concierge service, but thinks it’s a great idea. “This is the kind of thing that gives us confidence in these guys,” Wheeler said. “The thoughtful attention they have paid to all these details will enhance the business, enhance the dealership itself and enhance the brand.”
After Airstream Adventures Northwest opened in Portland last year, it quickly rose to become Airstream’s third largest dealer, even while another Oregon dealer, George M. Sutton RV in Eugene, was retaining its ranking as Airstream’s second largest.
Wheeler, who came from Airstream’s headquarters in Ohio to the Pacific Northwest to visit dealers, said Airstream is recovering well from the Great Recession.
“2008 and ‘09 were tough years for the RV industry and Airstream did not dodge that bullet unfortunately,” he said. “But in 2010 we were up pretty dramatically. The industry was up 45 percent and that’s about what we were. Toward the end of last year, the growth tapered off, but it was still positive and we’ll probably have single-digit growth this year.”
Founded 80 years ago, Airstream has achieved a unique place in the RV industry with its adherence to a particular style it calls the silver bullet: a sleek aluminum exterior combined with cutting-edge interior design. Airstream makes travel trailers of all sizes and also builds Class B motorhomes on Mercedes-Benz and Chevrolet chassis.
Airstreams are popular with Hollywood celebrities, often pop up in movies and on TV, and even turn up in unlikely places—the Air Force outfits Airstream trailers inside transport planes as offices in the sky for the vice president, defense secretary and others. Actor Matthew McConaughey might be the biggest Airstream fan—he owns three of them and is a dedicated RVer.
Wheeler said celebrities, like other people, are attracted to Airstream because of their timeless design, image and style.
“We have the finest travel trailer made in the world, bar none,” he said. “It’s stylish and it’s got panache.”
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