Party on wheels

West Linn couple’s party bus provides ‘the ultimate party experience’

By Cori Bolger

The Lake Oswego Review, Mar 8, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Vern Uyetake / Lake Oswego Review

West Linn couple Graham and Jennifer Berry cut a rug inside their custom luxury bus, which can be rented out by the hour and taken for a spin. Graham travels along to host the “parties,” and the couple recently added professional drivers to their company.

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It could be said that whatever happens on the party bus stays on the party bus. Because when it comes to renting out their new business on wheels, Graham and Jennifer Berry are open to, well, almost anything, as long as it’s not illegal.

“The first question we get is, ‘Where’s the stripper pole?’” Jennifer said with a laugh.

The West Linn couple chose not to add that particular accessory to the bus they bought and remodeled in September. Instead, they decked it out with luxurious leather seats, beverage stations and flat-screen TVs.

The result, Lake Oswego-based business VIP-PDX, is all about luxury, class and unparalleled service — “the ultimate party experience.”

The bus can be used for a variety of purposes: bachelor/bachelorette parties, wine tasting in the Willamette Valley, 21st birthdays, clubbing in downtown Portland or tailgating at a football game.

“We go wherever the party is,” Graham said.

According to the Berrys, their upscale vehicle is classy enough for a corporate event and relaxed enough for a keg party. Graham, a native of London, hosts each event to make sure his clients’ requests are met.

“We’ll cater to anything you want,” he said. “We don’t want ‘no’ to be in our vocabulary.”

The Berrys came up with the idea for the business when they returned from working on Carnival cruise ships, where Jennifer danced in shows and Graham worked in the casinos.

At sea, it was their responsibility to make sure vacationers always had fun and cut loose. So when they moved to the Portland area — where Jennifer grew up — and then had their two kids, it felt like the entertainment aspect of their lives was missing.

“There’s so much responsibility and seriousness here, we wanted to bring fun back to the ‘land people,’” Jennifer said.

First, they began toying with the idea of making a pink “bride’s ride,” but wanted to expand that concept.

As they asked their friends and relatives for feedback, they found two characteristics not included in limos and stretch SUVs — headroom and a spacious bathroom.

A bus seemed to be the natural option, especially because Graham saw similar businesses in his native London. They realized that if they made their business a reality, it would be the only one of its kind in Portland.

The Berrys sold their Lake Oswego home to fund the purchase of a former mobile office — a tour bus that didn’t have flooring or much else inside.

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