Photo: Kurt Tadich

Erin Wolfe Tadich ’09 with the 47-year-old VW Thing she and her husband rent to partygoers.

PA Party Wheels

by Lori Ferguson

Erin Wolfe Tadich ’09 and her husband, Kurt, have a penchant for vintage automobiles, which has inspired them to collect a delightful mix of mechanical toys, including a pair of Type 2 VW buses from the ’70s, a ’74 Type 181 VW Thing, a ’73 Super Beetle Convertible and a ’65 Chevy stepside truck. Assembling this collection has brought the couple hours of joy. Their passion for antique autos delights other people, too.

“My husband began collecting VWs as a student at Dickinson College and never imagined there would be a market for renting these cars; it was just a hobby for us,” Tadich confesses. “But when a photographer friend came to take photos of our new baby daughter in May 2020, she saw our vintage VWs and told us people were always looking for them to use in photo shoots and at events.”

“I might not be using my degree, but I’m very much using my education.”

In October 2020, Tadich and her husband formed an LLC and made their hobby official. PA Party Wheels has been picking up speed in central Pennsylvania ever since. “The photographer convinced me that if I did a little social media marketing and connected with a few wedding vendors, the business would take off, and it has — it’s crazy.”

An elementary and early childhood education major at Bucknell, Tadich now is an associate broker for Wolfe & Company Realtors, the Carlisle, Pa.-based business her father launched in 1986 and will be passing on to his kids. “I might not be using my degree, but I’m very much using my education,” says Tadich.

“PA Party Wheels is my creative outlet,” she continues. “I use a lot of my education skillset in real estate, but I’ve always loved arts and crafts and design, too. This new business allows me to indulge those interests in a new way.”

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