42°
The husband and wife duo run Soda Deco, and convert and renovate vans to allow people live in them full time.
The lovebirds and business partners do all their work right there in the driveway of their Fairmount Avenue home: Colle does the designs while Turek does the building.
Soda Deco, a combination of their names, began during the pandemic when they found themselves needing something to do.
"We had a van and we just had this idea to renovate the van and sell it," Colle said. "We're both creative. He needed to keep busy."
Turek has a workshop where he makes everything himself that goes into the van, like building cabinets from scratch. When they are not convering vans, Colle works as a wardrobe stylist while Turek is a photographer. Soda Deco has attracted quite the fanbase, with their Instagram having more than 6,000 followers.
"This is truly a passion for us," Colle said.
Converting vans in the driveway is not a site people see everyday. Their unique business and workspace has opened themselves to their neighbors who often stop by and see what they are working on. Even the fire department stopped by to get a closer look.
"It's allowed us to really get a sense of our community and our neighborhood," Colle, who has lived in Jersey City for 30 years, said. "It's been really great for us. It has brought us a lot more friends.
Converting a van takes about 8 to 10 months and can be quite expensive. A garage in Brooklyn offered to share their workspace, but Colle and Turek would prefer to stay in Jersey City.
"Jersey City deserves to have some fun things too," Colle said.
Colle said it is super gratifying when they finish a converting a van and know all their hard work has paid off.
"When you start, the van is such a mess," Colle said. "It's a puzzle to assemble. It looks like some kind of exploded spaceship with wires everywhere. At the end of it, you've built a mini-house on wheels. Showing it to people is really the best reward."
Since the pandemic, Colle said she has the van life movement really take off, as working from home allows for flexible living environments.
"There are young people who might buy a van instead of an apartment," Colle said. "They don't want to live in the same place."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgewood and receive free news updates.
