Bangor Jeweler Turns Old School Bus Into Mobile Charm Bar

Jazmin Horne, owner of the Dream Charm Bar in downtown Bangor, ME, has retrofitted an old mini school bus into a mobile version of her jewelry store, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The bus — stocked with shelves of charms, necklace chains and greenery — took about a month to convert and made its first public appearance at the Bangor State Fair, which ran through last Saturday. “I wanted to get going before the summer ended,” Horne told the Bangor Daily News.

Horne opened her Central Street storefront last summer, offering pick-your-own charms, permanent jewelry and events like pop-ups and TV watch parties. She said she wanted the shop to be a “third space” for customers, and sees the bus as a way to extend that experience to more people and events around the state.

She found the bus through a used-bus resale website and drove it to Maine from New York, where she was visiting for her grandfather’s funeral — a moment she said felt full-circle, since her grandfather had once been a bus driver himself.

The bus has since been outfitted with new flooring and wipeable, child-friendly wall coverings. Horne plans to book it for parties and events, with upcoming stops including the Maine Book and Print Fest, Bangor’s Bass Park After Dark, and other regional fairs and festivals.