When Kim and Keith Garrison first envisioned Patina Storage, they were armed with little more than a great idea and a drive to get it done. According to a recent study by Storage Cafe, more than one in five Americans rent a self storage unit.
Motivations for having a storage unit range, but they usually all drill down to a trend of shrinking living spaces–for both houses and apartments. People tend to rent space outside their home until they can move into something bigger or add to the space they have—or just to keep less frequently used items out of the way.
Many of the people using self storage are part of the Generation X age bracket (44 – 59) with Millenials closely following. As these groups advance in age, the interest in self storage is only growing.
Obviously, business has been booming in the world of self storage and the Garrisons were entrepreneurs hoping to invest in this growing niche in the market. However, they had little more than a vision and a goal to get the project off the ground when they first connected with us at Raby Construction. In fact, they interviewed other construction companies who turned them down because their plans were not developed enough to move forward.
However, Michael and the team at Raby knew the potential of the Patina Storage project and saw an opportunity to guide and support the Garrisons in their endeavor. From the first meeting, it was clear that this was not going to be a typical construction project.
Throughout the journey of the project, Raby Construction helped the Garrisons navigate the complex maze of planning, financing, and building a storage facility from scratch. This project took extensive time and patience. The first phase of Patina Storage took over a year to complete largely due to pandemic-related delays, but the result has been a massive success.
In fact, the project has been so successful that Patina Storage is already in the process of expanding and buying more land for Phase 2. This kind of growth wasn’t projected to take place for another five years!
Now located on 153 in Powdersville, South Carolina, Patina Storage came to life as a climate-controlled storage facility with southern hospitality. They offer ample amenities, including state-of-the-art security, 24-hour access, and units ranging from 25 to 300 square feet. The Garrisons love collecting antiques, and named their business “Patina” after the weathered appearance of items made of metal or wood. Incidentally, climate-controlled storage is perfect for protecting antique items, and keeping them in great condition.
This project is a great example of the three pillars of the Raby Standard: safety, excellence, and integrity. We took our time with phase one, guaranteeing things were done efficiently, and by the book. This attention to detail guaranteed a strong foundation (both literally and figuratively), which gave Patina Storage the stability for rapid expansion.
Sometimes, business affords us the opportunity to help someone achieve their dreams. We loved being able to come alongside Kim and Keith and help them turn their dream into a reality–and we look forward to the continued growth of Patina Storage.