Press Office

"Driven to Shop"
Gazette-Times
April 14th, 2008

"A bit of olde London"
Mail Tribune
July 25, 2007

"London calling with double decker delight"
The Oregonian
July 25, 2007

PRESS RELEASE -

When we came across RLH 69 and her two siblings RLH 71 and the first ever Red RLH, RLH 53, we knew little about the refurbishment of London Double Decker buses nor did we have experience in maintaining Double Decker buses. But this seemed to be a project worthy of the risk, and so we pursued our dream. Fast forward six months, and with the help from bus enthusiasts David, Ewen and Michael in the UK and Wally Mellor here in the United States, we have our first Double Decker bus running the roads in Southern Oregon.

When UrbanMinx.com owner Melissa Walton (formerly of London) saw the three 1950’s London Double Decker Buses rusting in a field in Southern California on a cold February afternoon, it brought back memories of a wonderful childhood. Raised in a time before high crime, fast food, and over-indulgence, Melissa dreamed of the old days and thought that seeing these magnificent beasts running around her new home in Southern Oregon would bring a bit of that nostalgia back and allow her to share her love of that past with others.

Dreams being what they are, Melissa did not hold out much hope but still pursued her ambitions by convincing her partner (Shawn McFadden) to join in her pursuit. Fast forward six months, and you’ll find that just one bus is not enough for Southern Oregon.

“I have had one bus on the road just over a month now and I have received two separate bookings from the Willows B&B each needing two buses in 2008, I have to get to work on my second bus, RLH 71!” says an elated Shawn.

“This was just a dream, but it’s taken on a life of its own. I originally thought that all we would be doing is recycling these old buses by getting them running and back on the road; this effort was more of fulfilling a dream than implementing a business plan and was unlikely to lead to financial reward. However this whole historic London bus thing had a built up demand that I was not aware of, and this is turning into a real economic opportunity.”

Great timing too, as Shawn was in the building industry. “You could not have asked for better timing; just as I was getting nervous about finding an income, this comes along, and right now this whole historic London bus thing seems to be a sustainable small business.”

While starting a new venture has its rewards and drawbacks, this small enterprise - being a whole new type of business - has no direct competition. “I love that I do not feel like I have to put someone else out of business to make my idea work. While I enjoy small business ownership, that is the one part I really do not get exited about.” You might think this business targets tourists, but so far all the bookings have been either local businesses or individuals from the Rouge Valley.

“We have received nothing but enthusiastic encouragement from everyone we run into and so far, only two individuals have mentioned this might be less than brilliant, but I believe both of them have now changed their minds and one of them has since taken a ride on the bus,” Melissa says with a wink and a smile. No surprise, they are smiling, they pursed their dream in Oregon and it seems to be coming true.