In Bad Economy, People Turn to Storage Units

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Story Published: Oct 10, 2008 at 6:38 PM PDT

By Rudabeh Shahbazi

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RICHLAND-- The economy is forcing people out of their homes across the country, and storage facilities are cashing in when people downsize.

Stor-House Self Storage Manager Daniel Donham said he has had to turn prospective tenants away since they started flooding in last spring.

"You could tell something was happening," said Donham. "Before the economy started indicating it was going to get a lot harsher, we noticed people preparing. They had an outside scoop or intuition."

More people who are forced to give up bigger homes, but still can't swallow getting rid of their belongings, are turning to storage.

"When they come in, they're like, 'We've got to do something,' and they're kind of in preparedness mode," said Donham. "So that is carrying a lot of new traffic through here. We're about 97 percent occupied here, with a waiting list."

As times get tougher and people get more desperate, Donham is preparing for the worst. He monitors crime trends and has upgraded his security system with new cameras, locks and lighting to prevent thefts and burglaries.

Surprisingly, Donham said most people are keeping up with their payments, some even paying months in advance. He said he has not seen any more people than usual abandoning their property because they cant' pay the bills.

"A lot of people put all their things in storage, and they don't want to lose them," he said. "This is the last resort for where they put their things."

His is one business that isn't drying up in the economic drought.

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