A place for the ‘stuff’

WASILLA — Most area residents will probably agree that the Mat-Su Valley has no shortage of storage units — facilities of every size and shape are seemingly scattered throughout the region to hold everything from snowmachines to family heirlooms.

But for Anchorage contractor and civil engineer John Simpson, two factors have risen to the top in his first foray into the storage business: location and amenities, which he hopes will separate Storage Cache from the rest.

The sprawling 48,000 square-foot facility, which should open sometime next month, features 24-hour availability, a range of storage unit sizes and a smartphone-friendly registration and access process. Half of the facility is climate controlled.

“There’s probably a million square feet of self-storage within five miles of here,” Simpson said of his location along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway just west of Seward Meridian Parkway. “I have done a lot of homework and this area has great visibility. Thirty-six thousand cars a day go by here on the Palmer-Wasilla. That is important for this type of facility.”

While Simpson and his wife, veterinarian Michelle Leibold, live in Anchorage, John has Valley roots. He was raised in the Finger Lake area and is part of a Colonist family. The five-acre property on which the storage facility sits also has a Colony history.

“We’ve had this property since ’02,” Simpson said. “It had a house on it that was an original Colony home built by the government.”

The house was sold and moved to a location off Trunk Road, he said.

“I had remodeled it twice…. and being part of a colonist family, I just couldn’t tear it down,” Simpson said.

With some 316 units ranging in size from 5 feet by 5 feet to a 12 by 40 — a unit big enough to house an RV — Simpson said facility access and registration is all web-based.

Prices run around 80 cents per square foot, he added. “That’s competitive with everyone else.”

Plus, Storage Cache’s technological convenience is hard to beat, he said.

“You will be able to do it all off your phone,” Simpson said. “We will also have a kiosk inside the building that will basically have a locked-down iPad that can do the same thing.”

Simpson said the registration building also will have restrooms.

“I wanted to put in a few extra amenities,” he said. “Most storage facilities don‘t offer restrooms.”

The facility will be fully video monitored and features a state-of-the-art alarm system and plenty of LED lighting, Simpson said.

“You still put a lock on your unit, but the security system knows when the (unit) doors are open, when they are closed and who is coming and going from the facility,” he said.

Simpson said next month was looking good for the opening.

“We’re getting close,” he said. “We have had some shorter, four-day weeks with the weather lately, but I am hopeful.”

For more information, find Storage Cache at 4150 Snider Dr. in Wasilla, visit www.storagecache.net or call 312-5615.

Contact reporter Steven Merritt at 352-2269 or steven.merritt@frontiersman.com