Plenty Places To Store That Surplus Stuff

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It’s almost 11 ‘o’ clock: Do you know where your stuff is?
The recently opened Hawaii Self-Storage on Waialae has
an imposing presence, along with a handful of similar
facilities now in East Oahu to reduce the stress of island
residents’ “space issues.” Photo from Hawaii Self-Storage.

East Oahu residents with lots of stuff on their hands have more options than ever for self-storage, with two new facilities springing up since August.

Convenience, quality and range of services seem to top the list of offerings. Five firms serve East Oahu residents, including one as far afield as Kapolei, which will send a container to your home for filling, and then pick it up to store in its new, larger and climate-controlled 24,000-square-foot facility. Calling 48 hours ahead brings a container to your door to add or retrieve items.

Opened in 1998, that company is PortaBox Storage Hawaii, and 40 percent of its customers are from Kaimuki to Hawaii Kai, said Rob Alston, vice president of operations and general manager.“The biggest thing to highlight is the convenience because you never have to leave your house,” he said, noting their wooden containers are gentler on items in transport than metal, and they absorb moisture, preventing mold and mildew.

A security system is heightened by stacking containers together door-to-door and allowing access only in common areas. Currently 70 percent full, PortaBox Storage has one container size: 5 x 8 x 7 feet. For details, call 531-1166.

The newest “stuff-holder” is Hawaii Self-Storage, at 2909 Waialae Ave., which is about 23 percent full after opening Jan. 1. Visible from the freeway is its large clock tower plus three mosaics (total cost $250,000). The facility has about 1,600 lockers, which can be customized; 24-hour access, air-conditioning, covered car storage and three loading docks that can handle 40-foot containers.

It also has Internet access, fax and copiers for businesses. P.O. boxes will be added this month and “I’m having canoe and kayak racks professionally installed,” said general manager Daniel Ho. The company also offers college scholarships to Kaimuki and Kalani high graduates. For information, call 949-7233.

StorSecure Self-Storage opened in August on Kalanianaole Highway near Roy’s and was named 2006 Facility of the Year Overall Winner by the trade publication Mini-Storage Messenger.

“We won it based on all the criteria of the construction challenges, good use of space, linkage to the community, security system and technology,“said Annette Pang,senior vice president of marketing and a co-owner. It is more than 35 percent full and has 1,100 lockers on 85,000 square feet of storage space. It offers popular drive-up units, on-site resident managers, mail box service, a business service center and pay-and-lease kiosks.

It also has Moisture-Guard dehumidification to guard against rust, dust mites and pollen. For more information, call 396-8118.

Other facilities are Kaimuki Self-Storage at 2919 Kapiolani Blvd., (732-0337, www.kaimukistorage.com); and Public Storage at 2888 Waialae Ave. in Kaimuki (735-0804) and 4100 Waialae Ave. in Kahala (735-2543).