A TEACHER has revealed how he transformed an old horse box into a booming bar business – all thanks to some DIY.
The savvy 23-year-old, from Stourport, revealed how his side hustle has gone from strength to strength after he created Foley’s Horse Box Bar, which he takes to weddings and food festivals across summer holidays and weekends.
The entrepreneur explained how he noticed that an increasing number of pubs were being forced to shut their doors because they couldn’t afford to pay their bills.
So, he came up with the idea of having a mobile bar, which would inevitably mean his bills were much more manageable.
In 2021, he paid £800 for an old horsebox that was being flogged by a local farmer, and with the help of his dad, who is handy when it comes to DIY, the pair set to work making it fit for business.
After splashing out a grand total of £1,000 on the reno, it’s now the perfect bar, serving everything from cocktails to draught beer.
Speaking of the real team effort that went into the transformation, Charlie told Birmingham Live: “We had to sand it down to get rid of any rust and paint it before bringing it to life with the fittings, made of wooden pallets.
“We even welded metal feet on to it.
“Dad’s good at DIY and had a lot of things we could use lying around but we bought parts second-hand too.”
It may have taken the duo a year to do up, with Charlie only able to help out at weekends, but they refused to cut corners and wanted to make sure the cart would last long term.
And their hard work and patience has clearly paid off, with the 23-year-old, whose girlfriend Isobel Lines also helps to serve in the bar, recalling how the first food festival was a total sell-out.
To keep up with popular demand, Charlie had to race out to stock up on more drinks.
After having a taste of success, the business-minded teacher has since purchased an ice-cream tricycle and worked hard to get his food hygiene certificate so he can flog ice creams from it at different events.
He also plans on investing in another horsebox and eventually turning it into a fleet of successful businesses, with his next one serving the likes of pizza and cocktails.
