For brothers Kurt and Craig Campbell, third-generation dealers in the Seattle area, nostalgia and identifying a gap in the market created a profitable component of their group's business.
The pair co-owns Campbell Auto Group, made up of Campbell Volkswagen of Edmonds, Campbell Nissan of Edmonds and Campbell Nissan of Everett.
In 2015, the group launched Caravan Outfitter. As the name implies, the retailer takes passenger and cargo vans and outfits them with creature comforts for customers looking to experience the outdoors via an all-in-one camper van.
In the 1950s, Volkswagen popularized such a setup with its Westfalia models, which were notable for their pop-up roofs.
"My brother and I grew up as Volkswagen dealers," Kurt Campbell said. "At one time, we were one of the larger Westfalia dealers in the country for Volkswagen. That product went away and we saw that that niche needed to be filled."
The brothers hired engineers and spent tw…