Meet Ariana & Jon Conlon | Van Builders

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ariana & Jon Conlon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ariana & Jon, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, we were living in a van full time. As the Colorado winter approached, we found out very quickly that we were in need of a heater! After an unsuccessful search for a company to install a heater for us, we decided to try our luck at installing our own. We then realized we could combine our design/build experience with our skills we had learned working on our own van and start a van conversion business.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We’re passionate about van life and want to give others the tools to be able to experience it for themselves. Living off the grid for a year completely changed our lives for the better. Van life isn’t always glamorous, but it does offer great flexibility and the opportunity to witness some truly amazing experiences. We have fun building vans and growing a business is easy when you’re having fun. We’re totally custom and can offer some great insight since we’ve experienced the lifestyle first hand. We love handing the keys back to our clients, just knowing that adventure awaits!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First thing in the morning, we’d walk the dog to grab a latte at one of our favorite local coffee shops in RiNo, Lekker. On the way back, we’d hit up Central Market and pick up some smothered green chili burritos at Izzio. We’d show off Colorado’s breathtaking views with one of the beautiful hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, like the Four Lake Loop Trail. We’d be sure to take them to a concert at Red Rocks one night, and maybe a baseball game at Coors Field another. We would take them brewery hopping down Larimer Street, and we’d swing by Black Shirt Brewing, Odell, and Our Mutual Friend. Last but not least, we’d ride our bikes down to City Park and enjoy a picnic over live music at City Park Jazz.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We couldn’t have gained the knowledge we needed without the wealth of information shared online from other van builders on their blogs and social media. It really is an incredibly supportive community that we hope to contribute to as well. Some specific folks that we took a lot of good information from were Van Life Outfitters, Far Out Ride, and Trent & Allie.

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