Space is at a premium in Metro Vancouver which leaves many looking for storage solutions.
"I've been here a few years now and I have to do some readjusting every few months I'd say,” Vancouver renter Laurel Bryant said.
Like many Metro Vancouver apartment dwellers, Bryant lives in a small space and needs just a small amount of storage space. That’s where Alluster.com personal storage company comes in. They’ll deliver a small blue box to your door for you to store your smaller items. They’ll then store that box in a climate controlled facility for $4.99 a month.
And if you need to access your goods, they’ll bring the box back within 24 hours for $5. Bulkier return items will cost you $7 but there is no charge to put them back into storage.
“I really like the affordability of the service," said Laurel, who says a storage locker was much too big for her needs.
“I didn’t need that much space,” she said.
The smallest storage locker we found near Bryant was quoted to us as 5ft x 5ft x 8ft tall -- or about 5.4 cubic metres – for $156 a month. That space would fit about 70 of Laurel’s blue boxes.
Alluster.com founder Rob Buchanan said he started the business because he saw a need.
"All I really want to do is just go eat my Rice Krispies without tripping over my snowboard, tripping over my golf clubs,” Buchanan said.
The service includes a virtual closet which allows customers to keep track of what they’ve stored.
"You can go into your catalogued items and you can add notes description and pictures," said Buchanan. "Biggest things we've had at this point are TV's, air conditioning units, and stuff like bicycles."
The bigger the item, the more customers pay. A bike will cost you $10 a month.
The company insures items up to $100 in value. For more expensive items, it’s recommended you purchase your own insurance.
Alluster.com services most of Metro Vancouver, and there is a 40 pound weight limit on individual boxes.
