Custom Ink News & Events

Gaston Getaway: Promoting Property With Custom Can Coolers


Even when you live at a popular tourist destination, sometimes you need a weekend away. Virginia Beach, Virginia residents Tasha and Michael Oaks longed for a lake house and were able to get one of their very own by buying a place that they could rent out when they weren’t visiting it themselves. They decided to create custom can coolers to help get the word out and turned to Custom Ink to make it happen.

a person holds a plastic cup with a custom can cooler on it that says "Gaston Getaway"

Tasha and Michael told us, “We live in Virginia Beach and love the coast & ocean, but Tasha grew up on Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and really missed spending time at a lake/fresh water. Michael vacationed many times to Lake Gaston and nearby Lake Anna and loved spending time at a lake.” They dreamed for many years of owning a vacation home that could also be used as another source of income, and by 2020 they were finally able to do so. They started by searching real estate listings in Lake Gaston, a beautiful, quaint lake area that runs along the border of Virginia and North Carolina, just two hours from where they lived in Virginia Beach, and soon found the place of their dreams.

“We bought during the height of COVID-19 which was interesting to say the least, but closed on our home December of 2020. The house was in good condition but needed a little ‘refreshing’. We spent six months lovingly updating it from top to bottom, the large bulk of it by ourselves.” Now, after all that work, they have a great place to rent to others looking for their own time at the lake. “Since we are in this for the long haul, we want to make guests feel special, encourage repeat visits, and get our branding out with social media interaction.”

Custom can coolers were a great choice to promote a vacation rental. “We thought it was a perfect fit for our guests at the lake. Bright orange to see on sunny days out on the water or out on a boat. We put a cute catch phrase and map of the lake on one side, and our logo on the other along with our social media handle. We are definitely going to add to our custom branded items for guests.”

After they received their first shipment, they posted straight to Instagram to show off their new wares. “It was one of our most popular instagram posts, drove the most new followers to our page. It’s an affordable way to help guests enjoy their time there and remember our location!”

a box full of custom can coolers that say "go jump in the lake" and "gaston getaway"

They say that if you’re thinking of getting custom gear to promote your own vacation rental, “Do it! Start small, it doesn’t have to be an order of 1000, or a very expensive item. Just think about what you would appreciate the most if you were a guest at your property and pick that!”

If you want to get in on the custom can cooler business, Tasha and Michael want you to know that it’s really easy. “The Custom Ink team has always been so helpful with tweaking my final design to get it looking just right. I highly recommend reaching out to them via the online chat tool or a quick call if you’re unsure of where to start.”


Miellyn is the Director of Marketing Content at Custom Ink. Her work has spanned marketing for television networks like TLC and Travel, educational content for Smithsonian and National Geographic, marketing and story for indie video games, essays for publishers including Random House, The Telegraph, and Smart Pop Books, and stories for press outlets like VICE and VH1.

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