Safeguard Self Storage is expanding again in Chicago! On May 28, 2014, Safeguard Self Storage announced the purchase of land in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Once complete, the self storage facility will be the 69^th store for the company nationally and the 12^th store in the Chicago area. Another planned store in the West Rogers Park neighborhood is presently under construction.

“The Chicago area is a terrific market for Safeguard and provides the company with the opportunity to add value to the Safeguard portfolio,” said Allan Sweet, Safeguard Chief Executive Officer. “This property is in a region where the company already owns and operates stores and we consider its addition to our real estate holdings as an important next step for the company.”

The new Uptown facility will provide 770 storage units in various sizes. Amenities at this location will include heated and air conditioned storage units, drive-in loading area, computer-controlled building access and digital/video recording of the property. The outside of the store has also been upgraded to blend into the surrounding neighborhood.

“The Uptown store, similar to all our Chicago facilities, is designed to provide an exceptional customer experience,” said Ken Finlay, Safeguard Senior Vice-President of Operations. “This facility will complement our product offerings in Illinois and demonstrates our commitment to and confidence in this strong market.”

The West Rogers Park property and the Uptown store are scheduled to open in 2015.

Contact Safeguard Self Storage to find out more information about storing your belongings at a Safeguard in your neighborhood.

Safeguard Self Storage expanded its presence in the New York metropolitan self-storage market again with the opening of its newest location, a 57,000 net rentable square foot addition to its existing facility on Bronx Boulevard in Bronx, New York about four miles northeast of Manhattan. Safeguard opened its 63rd store nationwide and its 23rd store in the New York metropolitan market today.

Safeguard Bronx II Self-Storage

Safeguard Self Storage, a provider of premium self-storage solutions, opened its twenty-third operating location in the New York metropolitan self-storage market. This facility, conveniently located at 4323-4327 Bronx Boulevard in the Bronx will continue to help provide this community's growing demand for high-quality storage units and self-storage space.

Safeguard has a deeply established presence in the New York market, now with 23 open locations. Less than three months ago, Safeguard Self Storage opened its 21st operating location on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, New York and acquired its 22nd location in Thornwood, New York (about 20 miles further north) a month later.  As is typical of Safeguard's 63 stores nationwide, the Bronx II self-storage facility is designed with security, convenience and customer service in mind. Amenities at this location include: heated and air conditioned space, a convenient drive-up loading area, computer-controlled access to the building and digital\video recording of the property.

"Safeguard's strong development ability enabled the company to acquire the land and design and build this exceptional 57,000 square foot facility in a densely populated area to help serve this market.  This new store complements the company's development and acquisition of new locations.  The company owns four other properties in development, two of which are in New York and one of which is also in the Bronx and two of which are in South Florida.", reported Allan Sweet, Chief Executive Officer of Safeguard Self Storage. 

"This new store expands the company’s presence and adds to the critical mass that the company has developed around the Safeguard brand in the New York metropolitan area", said Mark B. Rinder, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. 

"The Bronx Boulevard location, like all of our New York facilities, is designed to provide an exceptional customer experience and is tried and true for the company.  Safeguard built the Bronx I store on the same street, nearly immediately adjacent to this new store and opened it in 2005.  Thus, we know this market well.  With this new store open, we continue to move full speed ahead on the company’s West Farms location in the Bronx and expect to open that store next year” said James Goonan, Senior Vice President of Development who has been leading the development activities of Safeguard portfolio for 13 years. 

Ken Finlay, Senior Vice President of Operations added, "Its convenient location (immediately off the exit ramp from the Bronx River Parkway), the plethora of amenities and the company’s dedication to providing outstanding customer service, makes renting with Safeguard the best storage option in the Bronx and the surrounding area.  What makes Safeguard unique is the relationship that we develop with our customers--they are very important to us.   We look forward to continuing to serve the residents and business people of the Bronx that we’ve gotten to know over the past eight years. It's a great community and we're proud to be part of it."

Bronx II, NY Location: 
Safeguard opened the Bronx II, NY self-storage location on August 14th, 2013. This facility has 893 storage units in 57,000 leasable square feet with a variety of unit sizes currently available. The Bronx II store team is led by the same team which Walter Mejia, Facility Manager and Denise Hardy, Assistant Manager, and Andrea Wallace, Assistant Manager.

Mark B. Rinder - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Safeguard Self Storage | Atlanta

With 50% of all self storage customers being first time users one may ask how does air conditioned and heated storage make a difference? This is an important question, as many factors play into the decision to store in a climate controlled environment. Air conditioned and heated storage, simply put, makes a world of difference and here’s how: 

Elemental Protection – Standard, non-climate controlled storage units are usually found in buildings constructed of metal or tin. These building are generally susceptible to the elements as wind, rain and humidity find ways to penetrate the outer seams and openings. These types of buildings are also affected by major temperature swings as they tend to heat up rapidly during summer days and then cool down at night causing condensation. This moisture can cause warping of wood, yellowing of paper and mildew to grow on stored item.  During the winter months these buildings can become extremely cold causing stored goods to crack or chip. Temperature controlled storage units are designed to protect stored items from large temperature variations preventing moisture and mildew from forming which help items maintain their stored condition.

Sensitive Belongings – documents, photos, antiques, family heirlooms, and other valuables may not survive long term in regular outdoor storage. Choosing a climate controlled storage unit could save you from experiencing significant damage to weather sensitive items. 

Peace of Mind – Knowing that your items are stored in a climate controlled environment, protected from the elements just like your home or office will provide great comfort.  Air conditioned and heated storage units were designed so your items come out of storage in the same condition as when you put them in. What a concept!  

Making the right decision about self storage types is just as important as the decision to store. Making the wrong decision, in the long run, could cause more harm than good. To fully understand what self storage unit type and size is right for you, contact a storage professional today.

Safeguard is proud to team up with Mayor Bloomberg and the city of New York to establish the first Self-Storage Operator Code of Best Practices. The new codes will ensure self-storage facilities follow best practices to help prevent against the storage of counterfeit items in storage units.

The “Code of Best Practices” Includes the Following Items:

- Manager walkthroughs will be performed daily and a record keeping system establish where, upon unusually activity, further investigational measures will take place.

- Video recording system to be enhanced to sufficiently monitor the property.

- Tenant record system will require photo ID’s of tenants to remain on file for a year after they move out.

- Rental agreements forbid storage or sale of counterfeit items in storage facilities.

Kathleen McGee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Enforcement issued this statement, “We welcome Safeguard Self Storage as a partner in reducing the proliferation of illegal goods and look forward to working with other storage operators in our continued efforts against counterfeiting”.

Safeguard’s mission is to lead the self-storage industry in product quality, service and value. And, as always, Safeguard will strive for continuous improvement in all that we do. Our goal is to provide high-quality products and services that customers can trust and that distinguish Safeguard in the marketplace.

(Early profile rendering of the Safeguard Self Storage Albany Avenue location in Brooklyn)

We just closed on the purchase of land on Albany Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Many New Yorkers probably know us already, as 21 of our 60 open storage facilities are in the New York metro area. Why wouldn’t we build a 22nd location in the area? We love it here.

This new facility, which doesn’t have a firm completion date yet (but fear not, we have plenty of other facilities in the New York area to tide you over until then), will have 786 individual units in a variety of sizes. That’s 50,000 square feet of space for all your storage needs.

As is typical of a Safeguard self storage facility, the Albany Avenue location will be designed with security, convenience and customer service in mind. Amenities at this location will include:

• heated and air conditioned space
• a convenient drive-up loading area
• computer-controlled access to the building
• digital/video recording of the property

(That’s a lot of amenities. If there were any more I’d have to rent a unit just to store the remaining bullet-points in that list…ahem…is this thing on?)

Jim Goonan, Senior Vice President of Development, says about this Albany Avenue location:

"The Albany Avenue location, like all of our New York facilities, will be designed to provide an exceptional customer experience. This new facility will complement our product offering in New York and demonstrates our commitment to, and confidence in, this market. As many already know, we have two other stores under construction at this time, one of which will open later this month at Utica Avenue not far from this Albany Avenue site."

Be sure to Like us on Facebook to find out when our new Albany Avenue location will open and to stay updated on everything Safeguard Self Storage.

This Albany Avenue building in New York will soon be a brand new Safeguard Self Storage facility. See below for an artist’s rendering of the finished facility…yes, we’re between artists at the moment.