Salinas boutique ditches bricks-and-mortar shop for retail on wheels.

Most cities have an array of food trucks. But not every place has a chic teal bus shuttling unique clothing and accessories around town.

Diana Guzman used to rent a high-ceilinged storefront in Oldtown Salinas for her boutique, Sweet Envy. But she recently closed those wooden doors to open up the metal ones of the bakery bus she compressed her store into.

She decided to go mobile because of her struggle keeping up business in the bricks-and-mortar shop. “It’s something we needed to do to compete,” she says. “The challenge in Oldtown was attracting people into the store. Now, we can go to the customer for a lot less [overhead].”

So she refurbished an old bakery bus, which she bought for $5,500, to accommodate a small shop. She even made space for a dressing room. “All I need to cover is fuel costs,” she says.

The phenomenon isn’t new. Los Angeles introduced its first mobile boutique in 2010, and Forbes magazine reports the idea is spreading. For example: CirKusWaggon, a Santa Cruz-based fashion bus peddling handmade bohemian styles, has made several appearances outside The Independent Marketplace’s monthly dinners in Sand City.

Christina Ruiz claims her TopShelf Boutique became San Francisco’s first mobile retailer in May 2012 – the result of her frustration with securing an affordable permanent space and a bank loan to fund it. Now Ruiz is an ambassador for the American Mobile Retail Association. Although her NorCal chapter only has 11 members to date, she sees rapid growth.

“Mobile food was a big deal a few years ago. It’s been the same thing now with mobile retail,” she says. “No big city nationwide has a permitting system for mobile retail, so we’re in this gray area.”

Ruiz says the business model tends to work best at special events and private parties. Downtowns are harder due to city-code hurdles and pushback from merchants who see retail trucks as competition. “It’s hard to get old-school people to see the innovation of new business models,” she says. “But times are changing. For entrepreneurs, it’s a way to get business started.”

There’s something about a shop on wheels that brings to mind the neighborhood ice-cream truck – in particular, the rush of catching it before it moves away. This is the lure of mobile fashion: unique styles that could leave you in the dust if you don’t act fast.

Guzman started Sweet Envy in San Juan Bautista in 2010 but moved to Salinas in mid-2012 to sustain her other work as a paralegal. Her goal was to open fast and build steady business, but sales just weren’t keeping up with her expectations. A year later, she realized it was time for a change.

Her goal: a place where women can pick up a unique baby-shower gift or a cute pair of ballet flats during a lunch break. Her challenge: to keep her inventory fresh and its quality top-notch. The lower overhead cost and the mobility of a fashion truck could make it pencil out.

Guzman and her store’s general manager, Frances Esters, attempt to project class with their choice of inventory. Think bold necklaces and unique prints rather than cuts exposing lots of skin. In a society where “there is Miley Cyrus,” Esters says, pops of color are a more tasteful way to attract attention.

But without a permanent address, the shop can be harder for customers to find. So Guzman’s counting on social media: Fans following Sweet Envy on Facebook or Twitter can get updates on the truck’s location. Another strategy is diversification. The Sweet Envy truck could eventually expand to offer manicures and facials, Guzman says, in addition to clothing and accessories.

Ruiz, for her part, opened a permanent shop in S.F.’s Crocker Galleria last May while keeping her TopShelf truck running. She wishes the best for Guzman, but she warns mobile retail isn’t as easy – or cheap – as some may think. Her own costs include gas, storage and multiple kinds of insurance. She often has to troubleshoot mechanical gear like generators and inverters. And she’s constantly swapping inventory for an ever-shifting customer base. “It’s exciting to change your demographic, but you can’t always have the same regular customers unless they’re willing to track you down,” she says. “You’re schlepping a lot, and it is exhausting.”

The hashtag #trucklife accompanies snippets of the headache on Ruiz’s Instagram and Twitter feeds. The good news is, customers have it easier: Just climb on board and shop.

THE SWEET ENVY Truck is booked for the Salinas Food and Wine Festival Saturday, Oct. 19, noon-5pm in Oldtown Salinas: http://svfw2013.salinasvalleyfoodandwine.com. Follow Sweet Envy at www.facebook.com/shopsweetenvy or www.twitter.com/ShopSweetEnvy