A woman bought a broken-down school bus in Iceland for $800 and spent 2 years and $36,000 transforming it into a coffee shop. Take a look inside.

Asia London PalombaApr 29, 2023, 00:13 IST

Holly Keyser spent two years and $36,000 transforming a school bus into a coffee shop in Iceland.Holly Keyser

After moving to Iceland from the UK, Holly Kesyer bought an old school bus for $800.
She told Insider she spent two years and $36,000 renovating and converting it into a coffee shop.

When Holly Keyser moved from the UK to Iceland in 2017, she didn't think she'd end up buying a run-down school bus and converting it into a coffee shop.

Keyser worked as a glacier guide in southern Iceland.Holly Keyser

Keyser told Insider that she decided on a food truck-style shop as she thought it would involve fewer obstacles than a brick and mortar. She found an old school bus that had been sitting in a field for two years.

The school bus was cheap because of a broken engine.Holly Keyser

Keyser told Insider that she decided on a food truck-style shop as she thought it would involve fewer obstacles than a brick and mortar. She found an old school bus that had been sitting in a field for two years.

Keyser told Insider she then left the bus parked in her driveway for two years while she renovated it. The first thing she did was clear 20 inches of mud to see the state of the floor.

The bus with its original seats (L), and the bus after it had been cleared (R).Holly Keyser

Keyser told Insider she then left the bus parked in her driveway for two years while she renovated it. The first thing she did was clear 20 inches of mud to see the state of the floor.

Keyser told Insider she intended to fit chairs, tables, a serving counter, and a wood-burning fireplace in the eight-foot-wide space, and sourced second-hand wood from junkyards and donations to build the counters.

Keyser's father building a counter (L), and Keyser and her father working on the bus (R).Holly Keyser

Keyser told Insider she intended to fit chairs, tables, a serving counter, and a wood-burning fireplace in the eight-foot-wide space, and sourced second-hand wood from junkyards and donations to build the counters.

Keyser said she knew she wanted to keep the school bus exterior, but fully redesigned the interior to resemble a cozy coffee shop.

New linoleum flooring and seats (L), and an indoor wood-burning fireplace (R).Holly Keyser

The final steps were repainting the bus' exterior with anti-rust ship paint and adding the Skool Beans Cafe sign.

Keyser and her boyfriend repainting the bus' exterior.Holly Keyser

Even with sourcing repurposed materials, Keyser said costs added up.

It took Keyser two years and roughly $36,000 to convert the bus into a coffee shop.Holly Keyser

Keyser finally opened Skool Beans Cafe in July 2020 in a national park.

The inside of the bus once it was completed (L), and Keyser inside her coffee shop (R).Holly Keyser

The biggest challenges with the cafe so far have been weather-related, Keyser said.

The bus covered in snow (L), and Keyser's cat Jeffrey outside in the snow (R).Holly Keyser

Aside from being closed during the winter months, Skool Beans is open six days a week, and Keyser works at the coffee shop every day.

Keyser's cat Jeffrey sitting on a counter (L) and Jeffrey with Iceland's President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson (R).Holly Keyser

In the three years since opening, Keyser built a menu of drinks with unique flavors, and has continued to improve the space.

Inside Skool Beans Cafe, as seen from the back of the bus.Holly Keyser

The cafe also has a lending library and sells products from local artists, like magnets, posters, and woodwork.

The mini lending library (L) and the indoor wood-burning fireplace (R).Asia London Palomba/Insider

Keyser told Insider she's currently in the process of building her own roasting lab in the hopes of expanding the business.

Skool Beans Cafe seen from outside.Asia London Palomba/Insider

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A woman bought a broken-down school bus in Iceland for $800 and spent 2 years and $36,000 transforming it into a coffee shop. Take a look inside.

When Holly Keyser moved from the UK to Iceland in 2017, she didn't think she'd end up buying a run-down school bus and converting it into a coffee shop.

Keyser told Insider that she decided on a food truck-style shop as she thought it would involve fewer obstacles than a brick and mortar. She found an old school bus that had been sitting in a field for two years.

Keyser told Insider she then left the bus parked in her driveway for two years while she renovated it. The first thing she did was clear 20 inches of mud to see the state of the floor.

Keyser told Insider she intended to fit chairs, tables, a serving counter, and a wood-burning fireplace in the eight-foot-wide space, and sourced second-hand wood from junkyards and donations to build the counters.

Keyser said she knew she wanted to keep the school bus exterior, but fully redesigned the interior to resemble a cozy coffee shop.

The final steps were repainting the bus' exterior with anti-rust ship paint and adding the Skool Beans Cafe sign.

Even with sourcing repurposed materials, Keyser said costs added up.

Keyser finally opened Skool Beans Cafe in July 2020 in a national park.

The biggest challenges with the cafe so far have been weather-related, Keyser said.

Aside from being closed during the winter months, Skool Beans is open six days a week, and Keyser works at the coffee shop every day.

In the three years since opening, Keyser built a menu of drinks with unique flavors, and has continued to improve the space.

The cafe also has a lending library and sells products from local artists, like magnets, posters, and woodwork.

Keyser told Insider she's currently in the process of building her own roasting lab in the hopes of expanding the business.