The story of Willy Wonka has always promised a world of pure imagination — and in Pittsburgh, you don’t have to go far to experience it.
Brandon Meyer, owner of rental company Rank One Stays, debuted a Willy Wonka-themed Airbnb in 2023. Co-designed by Meyer and his wife, the three-bedroom property in Lawrenceville, which sits steps from UPMC’s Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, was a labor of love.
Though his company, which owns rentals across five states, specializes in offering guests “something unique,” Meyer said, with the Wonka-themed house, “We were feeling, ‘let’s go above and beyond for this one. Let’s craft things by hand.’ ”
Wonka-themed rental guests are greeted by a “Pure Imagination” sign in the living room, along with a lollipop tree and candy garden that Meyer and his wife engineered across many trips to craft stores to shape felt and foam.
In the kitchen, guests open cabinets with gobstopper candy handles and dine in a nook styled like the Wonkatania boat. One bedroom boasts colorful fruit wallpaper resembling Wonka’s lickable snozzberry version (though it’s better to look at than taste, Meyer said), along with hanging golden-ticket lights and outlet covers.
Custom artwork — including a framed portrait of Veruca Salt and pop art Oompa Loompas a la Andy Warhol — lines the walls. Pittsburgh touches are also sprinkled throughout, including a section of wall decor showing Mike Teavee getting shrunk alongside a Steelers helmet.
To bring the design elements to life, Meyer said, they watched the original 1971 film, “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” “about a million times, and binged on so much candy and ice cream that his wife broke out in hives.
Since welcoming guests two years ago, Meyer said the rental’s purpose has expanded, and they’ve embraced a more philanthropic mission. With its proximity to the Children’s Hospital, Meyer and Rank One have begun hosting sponsored stays for families in need.
Partially inspired by organizations like the Ronald McDonald House, Meyer said he felt a pull to give back, reflecting “you can do [small] stuff every single day in your life, but I wanted to do it on a bigger level… [which] just kind of naturally evolved into wanting to do [something] for families.”
In January, the Wonka-themed rental hosted a family for a free week-long stay.
“Their daughter had been going through a really difficult time, and she was coming up to get more information on some surgeries,” Meyer said. “It makes me emotional to talk about it, [but] she started crying. She was very grateful.”
Meyer reached out to Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, who, in the Wonka spirit, invited the family over to visit them in the Strip District for treats. This spurred Meyer to try to offer that experience and others, particularly candy-laden ones, to families regularly.
Currently, he says, the goal is getting the word out to expand the rental’s sponsored stays.
“If you’re going through a hard time, don’t be afraid to reach out, plain and simple,” Meyer says. “[We’d] be happy to listen and hopefully provide you an amazing experience.”
