ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - There is a new Roanoke startup manufacturing small camper and Go Fest helped bring the company to the star city.

Four years ago, a couple attended Roanoke’s Go Outside Festival to display a prototype of their camper.

“And at the time we were looking for a place to start our business and where we wanted to land,” said Wombat Camper Co-owner Julie Meilak.

Seeing the love for the outdoors at Go Fest, sealed the deal for Julie and Brad Meilak. They knew the star city was the perfect place to launch their business.

“I mean we love the fact that the city is small enough that it’s really accessible. And we can get outdoor really quickly. And there is so much to do here,” added Julie.

Julie and Brad built a camper to travel around Australia. Before taking on the task of building one for others. Now, they’re back premiering the first Wombat Camper at Go Fest.

“We have a queen size bed. That’s here and then it folds out. Here we have a dinette with a table. In here we have a wet bath with a toilet and a shower. And at the back here we have a kitchen counter with hot and cold running water,” said Brad.

The small, overland-style RV caught people’s attention over the weekend.

“Part of why we move to Roanoke is we love being outdoors and any opportunity that makes it easier to get outdoors and stay outdoors is something that interests us,” said Roanoke Resident Rebekah Sayre.

It is a trailer made entirely in Roanoke. The couple worked with two local businesses, Txtur and Lift Arc Studios LLC to bring the design to life.

“We just hope that we can use more local businesses and as we grow to hire local people and also to help people learn what the outdoors holds for them here around the city,” explained Julie.

The 75 thousand dollar recreational vehicle is available for purchase. It still needs some finishing touches but it’s the first of many to come.

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