Van Life Merch
Description: Unlike most van shops of the day that focused on selling and installing custom parts and accessories, The Van Doctor was a comprehensive auto body and mechanical repair shop. Sure, they also sold the goodies to make your ride stand out, but that was secondary to this Van Nuys garage.
Description: In 1976 a line of trucks and vans dubbed ‘Adult Toys’ was launched. Don’t be gross, these ‘Adult Toys’ were a series of factory vehicles that included the Street Van, which rolled off the assembly line outlandishly customized in what would become a staple of late '70s automotive culture – custom mag wheels, wild paint schemes, and plenty of shag carpeting among others. Despite the rich host of custom options the Street Van rolled off the line with, the true intention was for it to serve as an enticing platform for even more customization. To get buyers headed in the right direction, every Street Van came with a customization kit that included detailed instructions and plans to further style their van to their individual tastes.
Description: "Hey baby, you going my way?" Beginning back in the Depression, it used to be very normal to see someone sticking their thumb out in an effort to signal that they needed a ride and get a passing motorist to pick them up. Whether people were just looking for conversation on a long drive, hoping to get lucky, or just being nice, hitchhikers were a ubiquitous sight across America. Nowadays, hitchhiking is perceived as dangerous, and few drivers are willing to pick someone up. Police discourage it, and many states ban it. Since the '60s, the percentage of households that own cars has steadily increased, and the proportion of those with multiple cars has grown even faster. As cars have lasted longer and gotten cheaper, fewer people need a lift.
Description: T&H Van Works Unlimited got their start in the early '70s, riding the wave of custom van fever and offering a huge selection of custom parts from porthole windows and sunroofs to side pipes and flare kits. From their Los Angeles, California showroom, they also operated a thriving mail order business, with ads in all the major vanner magazines instructing people to write them for a free catalog. In the early '80s, custom vans had died down considerably, and T&H expanded their offerings to support the booming mini truck craze, but by some time in the '90s as mini trucks began falling out of favor, T&H called it quits.
