Paul Krause is the kind of person who sees a “safe” job as a launching pad, not a finish line. We talk about how he walked away from stability, moved into a van, and built a working life on the road through sports photography, weekend tournaments, and a constant cycle of planning, driving, setting up, and tearing down. It’s a candid look at van life logistics too, from gym showers to finding legal places to park overnight and dealing with the occasional 3 a.m. knock on the door.
Then the story turns into a masterclass in reinvention. When COVID shut down events, Paul had to pivot fast, choose a new home base, and figure out how to earn again. He shares why Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley won him over, what small-town community feels like compared to big cities, and how that mindset shaped BoxDrop Mattress, his low overhead, appointment-friendly mattress store built to keep costs down for customers. We also talk about rebuilding after a hurricane wipes out a location and forces another reset.
Finally, we get into the fun stuff: Escape The 828, an augmented reality escape room experience that runs on an iPad. One version is a sit-down game at a venue, and the other is a walking tour that turns Black Mountain history, murals, and hidden details into puzzles and storytelling. If you’re into local travel, interactive tourism, escape rooms, small business, or just love seeing a town with new eyes, you’ll get plenty to take away.
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