CAPE CHARLES, Va. — Virginia Beach residents Sylvia and Eric Hawkins built a big life, each owning a successful business.
“We were working achieving the American dream living in a 3000 square foot home, 3 kids, nice cars,” said Eric.
But the taste of success wasn’t as sweet as they had anticipated.
“We were like two ships passing in the night. We had no idea how much it would cost, not monetarily but emotionally it cost to maintain that lifestyle.” said Eric.
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So in 2010, during a camping trip to Cape Charles on the Eastern Shore, everything changed.
“Two days in this travel trailer, just the two of us, we were relaxed, we read, I read on book. How many books did you read? Two! So we extended another day because we were enjoying each other we were enjoying the environment, we were enjoying the small space,” said Eric.
So they decided to make a big change. They rented out their house, bought two RV’s and checked in to the KOA campground in Virginia Beach.
Their friends and family thought they were crazy.
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“You gotta not care what people think and you can’t live with other peoples’ fears,” said Hawkins.
Their two kids who were still at home weren’t thrilled with the idea of living in a campground.
“It's like leading people to a place they don’t want to go but they are happy when they get there. They learned that home is where you make it,” said Hawkins.
The Hawkins family did this for ten years, traveling more, saving money, and becoming closer as a result.
“In that process we came together more. In a RV or a tiny house or small space, you have a disagreement, In 3000 square feet you can fall to neutral corners. In a tiny house, you gotta talk about it,” he said.
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Downsizing had such an impact, the couple wanted to share what they’d learned with others.
“We always felt like 'lets build a tiny house village so we’d live there and as well as show people and let them experience what we felt,”
So they put pictures of a tiny house village on their vision board.
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A few years later, again, on a trip to Cape Charles, the couple of 32 years found it.
“This used to be an auto court back in the ‘30’s. It consisted of a gas station, restaurant, and at that time 14 tiny houses here,” said Eric.
They bought the rundown, four acre property, and went to work renovating.
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“It was overgrown. Not like bushes were overgrown. I mean trees had engulfed most if not all of these houses,” he said.
They went live on Airbnb in 2022 and the response to their tiny homes was big. They’ve garnered nearly 21 thousand Instagram followers with one of their videos getting more than two million views.
“If you want a small town charm and that small town feel but have all the modern amenities Cape Charles checks all those boxes,” said Eric.
While many guests come for the beach and parks, many come to learn how to live tiny.
The couple holds seminars on the topic. The next one is free and open to the public September 28 and 29th.
https://www.capecharlestinylivin.com/
