AMERICAN FORK, Utah — A school bus bought by a Utah teenager when he was in eighth grade is now going viral for what is inside. Lines filled with dozens of people any time the buss appears, with anxious visitors hoping to get a look.
"There's some days where there's just insane lines all day and people are waiting for up to two hours. We're always going outside and interacting with people and making sure they're having a good time while they're waiting." said bus store manager Collin McLaughlin.
When the bus doors finally open, those waiting find themselves entering a thrift store named, appropriately, "Not a Thrift Store." Inside, McLaughlin said shoppers will only find high quality items.
"I think this is where Utah is thriving right now, in the thrifted community, used clothes, all of that," said Trae Stevens, who also runs the bus store.
Inside, visitors can find anything from a vintage jacket for a favorite team to a five dollar t-shirt.
"There's so many things to look at, different styles, and it's cheaper than usual," said one shopper.
"I just try to keep it cheap because I'm a college-aged kid and I resonate with high schoolers and young kids just trying to get some cool clothes," said McLaughlin.
Before the millions of Tiktok and Instagram views and likes the store receives, store founder Kaysen Stevens, who at the time was only in the eighth grade, was just a boy who bought a school bus.
"I started turning it into an AirBnB, just to run while me and my friends weren't hanging out in it, but as an eighth grader, I was broke and I needed a way to make money," explained Stevens.
Stevens threw up some hangers and posted on social media; now. while he's doing out-of-state sales and helping with behind the scenes, his brother and McLaughlin have taken the wheel... literally.
"We're hitting a different location almost every single week, three times a week," said Trae. "In the next year or so we'd love to be going state to state and take it outside of Utah."
The three friends also continue to find ways to do more than just sell clothes.
"We're starting an anti-bully campaign called 'A Seat for Everyone' where we're raising money," Kaysen explained. "Last week, we raised over a thousand dollars for homeless teens in Utah County."
The effort is also helping to keep the legacy of someone special alive.
"My grandma was a bus driver and she actually died driving a bus," said Kaysen. "She was very well known for helping the community, so we're trying to carry that on."
Shoppers who want to hop on the bus can CLICK HERE to check out its future locations.
