NORTON SHORES, Mich. — If you're a parent of young children, you know packing for a trip makes for a lot of work.
But what if you could leave the bulky gear at home and rent those necessities once you've reached your destination instead?
A Norton Shores woman's discovery not only saved her time and money but became a business opportunity.
"We have three kids," Meghan Boertman said. "It definitely is a need as a parent."
And taking all three on vacation for a full week in Texas last month had Meghan Boertman doing some serious packing.
"You want to make life as easy as possible and convenient as possible," Boertman laughed.
Easier said than done and yet, sick and tired of packing up and carting around the laundry list of gear, toys and other often bulky essentials, Boertman turned to the internet.
"I found out about BabyQuip from a Google search for baby gear rental," she related. "I was like, hey, this is fantastic. It's pretty affordable and it's super convenient."
Urging mom and dad to pack light and travel happy, national gear rental biz BabyQuip got its start in 2016 and has since expanded into more than 650 cities worldwide.
Independent contractors sign up and register their gear with a central website, where parents later rent it.
"Say you're going to Grand Rapids or Muskegon or Florida, you can search anywhere, and then you see a list of providers… add to cart, select your dates and make the reservation," Boertman explained.
The idea so appealed to this mom of three...
"While we were there, I was like, hey, I could do this," she said. "I decided to give it a try actually signed up for it before we left on the trip."
Boertman now manages a rental business of her own out of the family's Norton Shores basement.
Her operation, she said, marks the first in the Muskegon area and already offers dozens of items.
"Car seat rentals, as well as any kind of anything--toys, cribs, baby equipment that you need for being away from home," Boertman related.
And it appears to be catching on.
13 ON YOUR SIDE found the Norton Shores mom getting an order ready for some of the first of what she hopes are many parents in exactly the same boat she was.
"Once people know about it, and that it's available, I think people will definitely be interested in using it as they travel here," she said.
The toys and equipment are insured, safe and clean, according to the BabyQuip Website.
For more information, click here.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
