2009 Self Storage Facility of the Year Award Winners Announced

Mini-Storage Messenger has announced the winners for its coveted Self-Storage Facility of the Year awards. The winners are:

• 2009 Facility of the Year Overall Winner: Store Self Storage and Wine Storage, of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Store Self Storage was also featured in an article on wine storage in the Wall Street Journal on March 4th. In addition to its self storage and wine storage areas, Store Self Storage has a wine tasting room, a business center, and a conference room. Store Self Storage also hosts community events such as meetings of the Ballen Isles Wine Lovers Club, and "Wine, Dine and Design," an annual meet and greet event for interior designers. 
• 2009 Facility of the Year: New Facility: C3 Modern Storage, of Chandler, Arizona. C3 is a modern facility that makes use of cutting edge biometric security technology (such as an iris recognition system for its wine storage section) and offers its tenants several specialized storage options, including wine storage, gun storage, and vault storage. It also has a coffee and espresso bar, a kids' entertainment lounge, a business center with a color copier and Internet access, and a conference room with teleconferencing capabilities. 
• 2009 Facility of the Year: Construction: City Storage, of Atlanta, Georgia. City Storage had to overcome many obstacles in order to begin construction, including demolishing the existing structures from its site and complying with city and state zoning requirements. City Storage has several properties throughout Atlanta, and specializes in producing facilities that fit seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhoods. 
• 2009 Facility of the Year: Conversion: I-5 Self Storage, of Tustin, California. After finding and buying a building he wanted to convert to self-storage, I-5's owner, Randy Wong, had to overcome several obstacles. He had to comply with zoning and safety requirements that kept changing (including changes to California's earthquake code since the building was first constructed, and new changes to water flow and storm drainage requirements), and had to convince Tustin city council members that he deserved an exemption to the moratorium on storage that Tustin passed in 2005. His facility was targeted by copper thieves in 2006. Finally, six years after beginning the conversion process, I-5 Self Storage was completed and open for business. 
• 2009 Facility of the Year: Specialty Storage: Interstate Storage of Livermore, California. Interstate Storage offers RV and boat storage in addition to business and personal self-storage units. Interstate also offers its tenants 24/7 computerized access to their storage units, and cutting edge security technology, including video surveillance. 
• 2009 Facility of the Year: International Winner: Love Box Self Storage of Shanghai, China. Developer Carson Block decided to take a risk and has established China's first ever self storage facility. Love Box Self Storage is also the first facility outside Canada to receive this award. 
• Facility of the Year Overall Runner-Up: John Fayard Self Storage, of Gulfport, Mississippi. John Fayard Self Storage has all the features that have become standard in the self storage industry, such as climate controlled units, moving services, and seven-day access. But it also has a feature that is slowly becoming more common in facilities built along the Gulf Coast: it is rated for 140 mile-per-hour winds. 
• Facility of the Year Runner-Up in the Conversion Category: Riverton Self Storage, of Riverton, Connecticut. Riverton Self Storage was converted from the historic building that used to house the Hitchcock Furniture Factory. The Hitchcock Furniture Factory was built in 1818, and its furniture can still be found in antique stores. Because Riverton was converted from a historic building, owners went to great lengths to preserve the building's facade. The inside of the building was renovated so that the facility could provide climate-controlled units.