"When I think of Oasis, I think of luxury and comfort," Molly Simmons says. And that's what she and her husband, Levi, strived for with the Oasis Tent Rentals just a year ago
Molly wanted to create a service where campers wouldn't have to worry about lifting a finger for their glamping experience. Whether their tent rentals are for newlyweds or for a group of people looking to relax, Oasis Tent Rentals offers a lounge and sleeping accommodations for guests, and provides everything a grand camping experience may need.
"My goal was really to make it fully encompassing everything that you can want. We have a cooler, we've got games, we have a speaker, we've got little twinkly lights, I mean we even have a coat rack, we've got everything," Simmons says. "I want [our clients] to be able to walk in, enjoy [themselves], and leave. That's it. ... The only thing they have to do is be leisurely and hang out."
Molly is inspired by her mom, Megan Boos, who established and owns Stitch Witch, a custom embroidery shop in Fortuna. From a young age, Simmons remembers her dad often being away at sea for work, and her mom making the decision to start her own business to stay home with her and her brother. Now, 26 years later, Simmons and her husband Levi, who hope to start a family of their own one day, also wanted to be able to work and spend time together.
One day while scrolling through the internet, Molly saw a 20-foot bell tent. "I thought, 'Wow, that is really cute. I bet I could decorate it and rent it out and people would want to hang out there.'" So last year, with help from her mom and her husband, she was able to start their new business Oasis Tent Rentals, a fully furnished glamping service for Humboldt County residents looking to spruce up their special events, birthdays and, of course, weddings.
Oasis Tent Rentals offers several packages that include a variety of set-ups, but each weatherproof tent comes fully equipped with a sleeper sofa, (including linens, if needed), carpets and coffee tables. There are even options for wooden furniture like antique side tables.
"It's basically like a mobile hotel room," says Levi. "It's all the comforts you need in a hotel room, but outside."
Creating luxury and comfort means making sure all the furniture in each tent is in super comfy condition and is as beautifully vintage as she can find. When they first started to shop for furniture last year, Molly says she and her mother would go thrift shopping and travel to estate sales throughout the county to try to bring the vision of Oasis Tent Rentals to life.
Molly says she selects each item intentionally, making sure that furniture and amenities are exactly what she would want herself: comfortable and inclusive of all body shapes and types.
"We are heavy people, always have been, and so, my goal was to make sure that everything that we have [in the tents], I can use. If I can't use it, I'm not gonna buy it," Molly says, adding that there have been times when she wasn't able to enjoy an event or experience because of her weight — an awkwardness she doesn't want to create for anyone else. "Maybe the person booking us isn't our size, but maybe the people who they invite are and can enjoy the tent, and I want them to have the same exact experience that everyone else is having."
Oasis Tent Rentals delivers tent set ups practically anywhere in the county. In their first year, the Simmonses set up tents at locations from the Humboldt Bay Social Club to the Barn at Fernbridge, Pamplin Grove and even as far east as Ruth Lake.
The Simmonses still have a bit to do in refining their business, from setting up to breaking tents down. However, they say the best part of the job is seeing their clients' faces once everything is ready.
"The excitement that I see in people is what keeps me going, even when things get hard, like when our van broke down," she says. "This is our dream, working together, working outdoors ... we couldn't have asked for anything better."
Oasis Tent Rentals
oasistentrentals.com
[email protected]
(707) 498-6636