Drivers coming into Rogers from Cameron may have noticed a colorful Volkswagen bus near North 2184. Painted with the words Eat, Sip, Shop, the bus serves as a roadside reminder that the businesses of Rogers are only a short turn away.
The Rogers Municipal Development District funded the project to help local shops and restaurants remain visible after the highway bypass changed traffic through the area.
Before the bypass opened, many travelers passed directly through Rogers. They saw storefronts along their route and often stopped without having to plan for it. The new highway allows drivers to go around town, which means fewer people naturally pass the businesses located inside Rogers.
The change also created some confusion for visitors unfamiliar with the new exits. Several businesses heard from customers who were unsure how to get back into town after passing the usual entrance. Local shops began discussing ways to make Rogers easier to notice from the roadway. A large billboard was considered, and a Rogers resident had even offered the use of property near the highway for the use of this!
However, utility easements prevented the installation of a permanent structure, so the project needed to remain movable. That restriction opened the door for a more unusual approach.
The idea for the VW bus came through VIS-À-VIS GALLERIA and The Cornerstone Mercantile. Antique Queens in Rockdale, which used a pink Volkswagen Beetle as a recognizable roadside display, helped inspire the concept. A vintage bus offered a fun and unique way to provide visibility about Rogers without requiring a permanent foundation. It could be moved later if the site or roadway conditions changed as well.
The result is difficult to overlook. The bus gives travelers a clear invitation to leave the highway and see what is available in town. That invitation matters to the businesses affected by the bypass. Rogers has restaurants, shops, and locally owned businesses that many highway travelers may never see unless something gives them a reason to turn off. The bus puts those businesses back in view and gives passing drivers a landmark they are likely to remember.
A plain directional sign could have served the same basic purpose, but the VW bus provides a more creative way to connect to the creative businesses and people or shops they will find once they arrive in Rogers. The bus is located on the right side of the road when entering Rogers from Cameron near North 2184. Another display may eventually be created for traffic traveling from the opposite direction once that side of the roadway is open.
For now, the Volkswagen bus is doing exactly what it was built to do: catching the attention of passing drivers and pointing them toward the tasty and unique finds waiting inside Rogers.