Meet Veronica Von Blon | Managing Member

We had the good fortune of connecting with Veronica Von Blon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Veronica, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?

This was a Covid idea. My husband and I have owned multiple businesses together. When COVID hit we had just finished building our last spec beach house in spring of 2020. While chilling with the rest of the world, we thought about starting a new venture. We shared an alley with a golf cart rental company and thought this might be a good business plan. We wanted to be different, though. Luckily, I found these Model-T replica electric carts online. So, the seed was planted. We thought these carts would be a great addition to the historic nature of Galveston.

Of course, this was no easy task since neither of us had worked in the rental industry before. The first hurdle was ordering the carts and getting them here. Importing from another country is not an easy feat, but with a lot of long days and nights we were able to accomplish that feat. Next, setting up a rental business. We have had a lot of ups and downs, but have learned a lot. Especially who to market to. We have had great support from The Tremont House, The Grand Galvez and The San Luis Resort. As well as The Bryan Museum. Our carts also have become very popular to many brides and grooms as a luxurious getaway car without having to break the bank.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our Model-T carts are very unique in two ways. First, they are electric while all other competiters use gas powered carts. Our carts are environmently friendly and much quieter, save our popular Ahooga horns. Lastly, our design pays homage to a time long ago. People love to come into our shop and look at our pictures hanging of Galveston back in the early 1900’s where streets were lined with Model-T cars, especially along the Seawall. Galveston has retained a nostalgia that our carts seem to incapsulate. We want visitors to enjoy our carts and imagine what it was like to be in a much simpler place in time. Traveling in our carts allows one to see what our vibrant city has to offer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

To enjoy the city the right way, you need to be in one of our carts!

I would hit up some of our favorite breakfast spots around town. Star Drug Store, Shykatz, Galveston Bagel Company, Bambu or El Jardin. Lunch places would be The Spot, Taquilos’s Tex-Mex, Little Daddy’s Gumbo Bar, Mosquito Cafe, Shykatz (have an awesome lunch as well), Millers, Brews Brothers, Katie’s Seafood, Mac-ies (best burgers on island). Dinner, hands down, Rudy & Paco’s or Vargas, Number 13, Riondos, Trattoria la Vigna (another husband and wife venture) and BLVD. Drinks would be Vida Agave (best tequila cocktails on the Island), BLVD (great happy hour), Hearsay on the Strand, Tsunami , Texas Tail Distillery, Sharkey’s or 3 Doors Down (both have great live music).

Regarding places to visit, The Bryan Museum which contains a lot of Texas history and the building used to be an orphanage. Bishops Palace which is Galveston’s grandest and best-know building. Moody Mansion which used to be home to one of the oldest families on the island. The Grand Galvez Hotel which was built in 1911 and recently renovated and is best known as the “Queen of the Gulf”. The Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Musuem is on an oil rig and offers a fun, hands on way to learn about the offshore oil and gas industry. The Strand is Galveston’s downtown with lots of shops and restaurants. Post Office Street also has tons of artish galleries as well as shops and restaurants. The 1877 Elissa and Texas Seaport Museum is one of the few historic tall wooden ships that still sails and museum which has recently gone through a renovation. The Galveston Railroad Museum which is a fun place for all those railroad enthusiates and also now has it’s own BnB in an old railcar.

Our company also offers “Private Tours” in one of our Model-T carts. We have the Mob Tour which you can experience an international city that was on top of the world until a storm left it broken and destroyed. Discover the raising up of an island, literally, to become the notorious playground of the South. Roll through neighborhoods once in ruin and rubble, but revived with renegades, restoration, and riches. Also, visit the such famous places as Sonny’s, where the once Balinese Room stood and of course a drive by the Mob Bar. Another tour is the Voices of the 1900 Storm Tour which is a 2-hour journey of stories of the storm. Hear personal stories of survival and loss as you see the locations where it all unfolded 122 years ago! The last tour and has become our most popular is The Spooky Galveston Ghost Tour. Ghost stories have always been a part of Galveston’s history, Galveston has for over a century been known as “a cemetery with a beach attached.” Here people can have a spooky adventure and explore the things that go bump in the night here in Galveston. See the city’s most haunted buildings as you tour this haunted city. Soon to be coming is our Mardi Gras Tour and Galveston’s Architectural Tour. All of our tours are with Certified Tourism Ambassadors.

Other things to see is the beach which is our piece of paradise. Drive through the neighborhoods where you can see Galveston’s rich history that stems back over 200 years. It was a port that welcomed immigrants from Germany, Italy and Greece and became a leading port for cotton exports. At one time Galveston became Texas’ largest city with a bolstering commercial center. See the Tree Sculpture Tour which was created after Hurricane Ike that destroyed many beautiful oak trees. The home owners commisioned artists to come and carve dazzling creations out of the tree trunks. There is the Turtles About Town which is a community art project created by Turtle Island Restoration Network and Clay Cup Studios showcasing the City of Galveston and the conservation efforts of Turtle Island Restoration Network to protect endangered sea turtles on the upper Texas coast. Both Tours are self-guided.

There is so much to see and do and in the comfort in one of our Replica Model-T carts!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The other person that I would like to recognize is my husband, Brett Von Blon. We have worked together for over 38 years and have been basically a 2-person show.

Website: www.CarriageHausRentals.com

Instagram: @CarriageHausRentals

Facebook: https://facebook.com/CarriageHausRentals

Image Credits
Callie Walker Photography and His and Her Photos