CapFed Best News: Lecompton couple crafts old-fashioned wagons in Topeka for ‘glamping’ adventures

Since January, Lecompton residents Dennis and Donna Steinman have built wagons in Topeka that promise “a wilder kind of experience.”

The Steinmans own PlainsCraft, a Kansas-based business building covered, pioneer-style wagons that can be customized to suit the needs of buyers. The wagons are intended for “glamping,” or glamorous camping, which allows people to feel more connected to their natural surroundings without giving up the amenities they love.

Dennis Steinman said he has been enthralled with that style of wagon since he was a kid.

“I’m from Kansas, grew up on a farm, always had horses and just kind of always had a thing for the wagons and the pioneers and the guts they had,” Dennis said. “When I was a kid my dad built a little covered wagon for us."

He remembers driving that wagon about 20 miles to the county fair with his little sister and a neighbor.

PlainsCraft melds Dennis’ passion for wagons with the business backgrounds he and his wife have. Dennis previously owned an electronics manufacturing company and has done real estate and several other gigs over the years. Donna has a background in interior design and has owned her own retail and interior design stores.

“I’ve been in business all my life with entrepreneurial-type things,” Dennis said, “so here we are.”

The name PlainsCraft is a nod to the Kansas plains and the craftsmanship evident in each wooden wagon.

“We put a lot of pride in the craftsmanship,” Dennis said. “They’re well built. They’re going to be around a long time.”

PlainsCraft wagons, Dennis added, are bigger and heavier than prairie schooner wagons used by travelers in the 1800s — so while the newer wagons can be hauled short distances, they aren’t intended for cross-country travel.

PlainsCraft wagons are around 225 square feet and start at about $27,000 each. They can fluctuate in price depending on the amenities buyers request.

The wagons are assembled in Topeka at a shop behind the Advance Auto Parts store located at 1939 N.W. Topeka Blvd. Dennis and Donna, who are together in charge of business operations and purchasing, have three employees working there to assemble the wagon parts and create the final product, which takes about a week to complete.

The wagon wheels are crafted by an Amish family in Ohio. The metal work is done by North Topeka Fabrication. And the air conditioning units are made by a company based in Wichita.

“Almost all the materials, except for those wheels, are bought in Kansas,” Dennis said.

PlainsCraft has been in business for about two years and had been operating out of Lecompton prior to January.

Dennis said the first wagon PlainsCraft built went to a woman in western Kansas, who chose to furnish it herself with antique furniture. But since then, PlainsCraft has sold mostly to resorts, RV parks and event venues looking to create destination experiences.

Donna uses her design skills to coordinate the interior look of each wagon with a buyer’s vision. She helps finalize artwork, customize the number of beds and determine layout of furniture.

“Donna does an amazing job,” Dennis said. “That’s one of the things that sets us apart I think.”

The two wagons built most recently are being transported to Zion Weeping Buffalo Resort in Virgin, Utah. Each one is complete with a full bathroom, at least one bed, lamps, chairs and more.

“We did floor layouts to decide what (the buyer) wanted in there,” Donna said, “and I found the furniture and all the accessories he wanted.”

Dennis said he hopes to grow the business in coming years as the “glamping” market develops.

“The glamping market is expanding rapidly,” he said. “It’s a really fun market to be in.”

Dennis added half the joy of business is seeing the look on people’s faces when they step inside a fully furnished PlainsCraft wagon that’s deceivingly spacious.

“We start with a wagon, and the sky’s the limit really,” he said.