When Avery Amstutz saw her neighbor selling a 1973 Airstream trailer on Facebook in November 2023, she knew she’d spotted her next business opportunity. She just wasn’t sure what kind of business it would be.
The Memphis, Tennessee-based serial entrepreneur bought the 50-year-old trailer using $6,000 from the profits of her other business ventures, she says. At the time, she was a destination wedding photographer who owned a photography studio available for rent, and the owner of a mobile cocktail trailer that could be hired for private parties.
In July 2024, after a five-figure trailer renovation, Amstutz added a new venture to her portfolio: Byway Coffee, a mobile coffee shop that now pops up daily at locations throughout Memphis. Over the next year, and despite some growing pains, Byway brought in more than $500,000 in total revenue, including over $400,000 in net sales, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
The business has been profitable “since Day 1,” says Amstutz, 28. Byway’s social media followers — more than 38,000 of them on Instagram and TikTok combined — receive updates on the trailer’s rotating menu of pastries from local bakeries and unconventional drinks, including recent offerings like Bananas Foster Chai and Pistachio Cookie Matcha.
