When Ann Hubbard first watched an episode of Stranger Things, she looked carefully at the sheets one of the show’s main characters, Eleven, used to make a tent in another character’s basement, early in the first season. She became excited: “Those are my sheets!” She’s since found out the sheets are fairly common, others have had the same reaction watching the show. But now, those sheets are just one of the many ’80s-feeling items transforming her and her partner, Dan Julius’, Tower Grove East basement into a Stranger Things–themed Airbnb.
The basement apartment lent itself nicely to the ’80s-inspired show. The Airbnb’s hallmark is a ’70s-era striped velvet loveseat placed in front of a wainscot trim, with the show’s iconic alphabet and Christmas lights plastered onto a floral-painted wall above. It also wasn’t hard to create, Hubbard says, noting that her photo booth company, Oh So Vivant, has given her plenty of experience with set design.
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The couples’ moms and grandparents passed down period-specific furniture and décor. On one wall, a shelf is filled with VHS films, with classics like Dirty Dancing two spots down from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. A 1979 television wrapped in a wood panel sits at the edge of a circular braided rug. Atop, you’ll find a VCR, binoculars, and a film canister. Above the bedroom’s dresser, an Evil Dead poster is terrifying and so ’80s. Soon, they will add another decade blockbuster, Jaws.
“Outfitting a basement with stuff from the ’80s is fairly inexpensive,” Julius says, “so it was a good way to ensure profit.”
The couple has been trying to get pregnant for four years with no avail. They’ve turned to in vitro fertilization to conceive a child—a costly process that they will begin for the first time this month.
“It is extremely, extremely, extremely expensive,” Julius says. “And I still have student loans. So we were trying to come up with ways to generate more money than our jobs.”
Whether it’s the theme (they’re already booked the night of Stranger Things‘ Season 3 premiere on July 4), or it’s the affordability (on average staying in the den costs you $49 per night), the couple hasn’t had issues booking their basement since renting it out in the beginning of March.
Next, the couple is exploring options to give the wall an ability to answer questions. “You would text the wall a question, and I would answer via text, but it would come out in blinking lights, like Morse code over each letter,” Hubbard says. “It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s definitely in the books.”
