So where do you keep that shiny new bike you’ve bought with your hard earned cash?

There are many options on the market at the moment for getting your bike off the floor and out of the hallway where you no doubt keep tripping over it. One of my favourite bike storage hangers is this one by Hood. It’s basically a hook that “fixes your fixie” (see what I did there) to the wall, but still manages to have keep a pleasant architectural form. Made totally in England, the Hood bike wall mount is manufactured from folded steel with a nice piece of leather to prevent your bike from getting scratched. They come in “Urban Grey” and “Flat White,” but can be made in any colour you fancy.

Lok’nStore have just upped their offer to students who want vacation storage near their college or university by offering the lowest rates in the market – at £10 a week – plus a storage pack worth £15 including 4 boxes , packing tape and a padlock for free.  All students need to do when booking the holiday storage is to produce their student id to get these special rates and free storage packs.

Every year and every holiday (be it the long summer break or the Easter or Christmas holidays), rather than packing up their car or a kindly parent’s or friend’s car and driving home with everything they’ve got for the term, students choose to put their things into storage. So they can leave all their termly possessions at Lok’nStore in safe & clean units until the next term. Every one of Lok’nStore’s 25 centres have units for £10 per week  for students to rent. It’s all pretty easy and it’s very affordable with these rates.

For more details see the student storage page on the main Lok’nStore website.

The pressure for students to take their stuff away from their student accomodation comes from the fact that so many colleges and universities use the rooms in the holidays for both conferences and for summer (or holiday) schools for special courses and the like. And that means that the student has to clear out the room so that it’s free to be let out as accomodation for those events.  In some cases students take their things to Lok’nStore when they’re awat for a term studying or getting experience abroad. Just compare the £10 per week to keep your things in Lok’nStore to the weekly rent on a room, say £110 to £150 a week. Incidentally did you know that student accomodation has doubled in price in the last 10 years – according to the NUS!

In an article published in The Independent newspaper (20/02/13), Zoopla, claimed that more house-sellers are sticking to their asking price, with less than a third prepared to knock money off the price of the property. Of particular interest to Lok’nStore, is the mention in the article that the property market in Milton Keynes appears to be holding up extremely well; with house owners not budging on their asking prices.  With its close transport links to London, it seems that Milton Keynes is looking very strong in the UKs deflated property market.

Full article.

One such business that has used our facilities to their advantage is Vintage Vibe.  Lisa and Wendy both put £50 each into a bank account to start Vintage Vibe back in 2008 with a view to using any money they earned as a pension pot – by selling over 400 quirky items described as ‘Shabby Chic,’ including furniture and classically styled candelabras over the internet.  What had started as a couple of pals looking to earn few extra pounds turned into a runaway success with Vintage Vibe now a limited company whose turnover is on course to reach £500,000 in the next few months – with the target of hitting £1 million annual turnover in the next two years.  Lisa and Wendy had a success story on their hands and found that they needed warehouse space for their expanding stock.

Space that grows with your business. 

They rented warehouse space at Lok’nStore Tonbridge, which has given Vintage Vibe the flexibility to expand without the need to move to new premises.  By using Lok’nStore’s flexible storage space they have ended up in the happy circumstance of being able to expand or contract their warehouse space depending on their level of current business and stock.  This has proved to be a great model for all types of businesses – especially new start ups – with eBay companies, small and large, loving this type of flexibility offered by Lok’nStore.  For more information about how we can help your business please call or visit us today.

vintagevibe.co.uk

Storage area ‘1’ is for the day to day stuff that you need in a hurry. The razor, toothbrush, shampoo and hairbrush should all be within easy reach and close to the shower, bath and vanity basin. The storage container for these items needs to be practical and user friendly for those early starts; before you have had your first cup of tea and are groping around looking for things without your glasses on, or your contacts in. Storage area ‘1’ also need to be beautiful as well, because it’s going to be on display all the time, and let’s be honest – do you want your new potential boyfriend to see your old flannel and razor?

Storage area ‘2.’ But what about bathroom storage for those items that you need weekly or even only monthly?  Clean towels, the beard trimmer (not for the ladies we hope!), waxing strips, nail care equipment or even a ladies shaver can be put into a good looking storage box that then lives under the vanity sink or on top of the toilet. These items should be within reach just with a stretch or by bending down.

Storage area ‘3.’  This is where you put the items that you only need occasionally – once per month or even per year. The glittery make up for nights out, or the upper lip moustache removing iron (?!) or that foot spa that you just had to have that’s only been out of the box once. Items ‘3’ can go into deeper storage and in most cases not even in the bathroom – find space in the loft, airing cupboard or rubbish bin.

Remember: if you can’t remember the last time you used those eyelash tongs; do they need to live on the window ledge gathering dust? De-cluttering is not only about clever storage, but also about letting go of the things that reduce
the space in our lives.

Is your storage as good as this?

Modern house building has seen the size of our bedrooms gradually decrease over the years, leaving us cramped with clutter, which is never going to be conducive to getting a good nights sleep.  Most sleep experts will suggest a clear uncluttered bedroom, utilising clever storage space, combined with subtle decorating (pale shades).  Here are four quick ideas for de-cluttering the bedroom that may help you in get better nights sleep:

• Use vertical spaces:  It’s normal to think of wide long, horizontal shelving, but small bedrooms don’t have the luxury of large wall spaces for bookshelves, photo frames and pictures – so try using vertical wall storage units.
• Use under the bed storage.  Extra pillows and off-season bedding can easily be stored away out of sight until needed in beautiful wicker baskets, wooden boxes or even cardboard archive boxes until needed. Although Feng Shui doesn’t recommend storage under the bed, we think it’s a hugely wasted space in most houses that can be easily and cleverly utilised, providing householders with a cheap ‘secret storage space.’
• Wardrobe space:  Fitted wardrobes can give you the opportunity of floor to ceiling storage, all cleverly hidden behind folding or sliding doors.  Organising your wardrobe is easy if you compartmentalise things like socks and scarves, gloves into wooden or plastic storage boxes – like the many types available at stores like IKEA.  Also buy a shoe rack and install this into the bottom of the wardrobe beneath your clothes.  Your shoes will then look tidy and will also be readily accessible for the next time you want to paint the town red.
• Rent a small storage unit:  You could de-clutter your bedroom one morning, and place your seasonal items or personal belongings that you don’t need everyday – but want to keep – into a small storage unit at Lok’nStore.  We have storage units available to rent from just a few pounds per week that can provide an easy, quick de-clutter for your bedroom.  For free advice please visit our website to find your nearest storage location.

Storage 24: The new movie that’s not a horror for Lok’nStore

Should this movie turn out to be a big hit in the UK, storage companies will no doubt be inundated with phone calls from worried customers as to whether they have any ‘rampaging alien’ contingency plans in place in the event of an military plane crashing nearby and releasing some sort of hybrid killer beast into their local storage facility.  We can however put your mind at risk if you are a Lok’nStore customer.  We have talked about this possible contingency and have come up with these three safety aspects at our facilities which we hope will put your mind at rest.

1)       Number 1 and the most very important point in this whole scenario: There is no access to Lok’nStore self storage in the dead of night for anyone (always the prime time for any alien or killer to strike).  Our storage centres, and your goods and belongings are locked down overnight, with no access.  This means there is ‘absolutely no chance of a Lok’nStore customer bumping into a killer alien from another planet or any rampaging genetically modified military monster’ (you can quote me on that one).  All Lok’nStore centres are fully covered by CCTV and are always fully staffed during open hours.

2)       Should there be a power cut while customers and staff are at Lok’nStore, we have emergency lighting that comes on to guide you safely out of the facility.  Our friendly staff would also be on hand to help you to safely return to reception. You would not be left in the dark if the power went out at a Lok’nStore facility.

3)       Should an escaped alien / killer get into a Lok’nStore facility; our expert staff are fully trained to deal with all emergencies and would ensure your safe evacuation from the centre (fighting aliens and monsters on the way), and also make you a cup of tea and supply biscuits to calm your nerves on the way out!

We do hope this sets your mind at rest, but should you have any questions about our self storage services – please visit our website to find your nearest storage location or give us a call on 0800 587 3322.

Click here for full ‘Storage 24′ trailer.

In the ‘Way We Live Now’ report (for the independent Future Homes Commission’s investigation into how the UK can build enough of the right kind of homes for modern British households) homeowners described all types of comical home storage situations caused by a lack of general household storage space including:

• A vacuum cleaner being kept at a parent’s house – which was a twenty minute drive away, because of an absence of general equipment storage space.
• ‘Buy one – get one free’ supermarket goods being kept in the boot of a car, because of a lack of kitchen storage space.

The most common complaint was not the lack of long term storage space for seasonal items like the Christmas Tree and nostalgic belongings like old photograph albums, but the shear lack of space available for storing ‘day to day’ equipment, like the ironing board, clean linen and clothes, the kitchen bin and even in some cases: food.

The RIBA / Iposos MORI report revealed the eight key features that people want, and need from their modern homes, of which two are based simply on the need for more storage space.  In fact; all eight of the features either involved: ‘lack of storage space’ in the home in general, or just the feeling that simply more space is needed for people and families to live in. Privacy of storage space was also an important consideration: many participants felt that they had things they wanted to store yet access regularly, but which they wanted to keep private from visitors, such as clothing, bed linen and food.  Homeowners felt that new-build house or flats would not offer them enough storage space for their clothes, food and other everyday items and also for longer-term storage.

It appears from the survey that the two requirements homeowners want from their homes in regards of ‘space’ are:

• Long-term and short-term storage for functional items, and for personal possessions people have chosen to keep during their lives.
• Dedicated space for domestic utility tasks, such as, washing, drying and ironing clothes, as well as for storing vacuum cleaners, rubbish bins and recycling – everyday storage.

The report (conducted with members of the general public who were all looking to buy an affordable new home in the next 12 months) also highlighted the lack of knowledge among first time buyers as to the amount of storage space they will need in a new home.  Although it’s not unusual, or even new for people to buy property with their hearts rather than their heads –opting for a home that ‘feels right’ – it seems that first time buyers struggle to estimate just how much basic space they will need for ‘daily activities, storage and utility requirements,’ which sometimes lead to problems when choosing a home.  Harry Rich, RIBA Chief Executive said: ‘It has been over half a century since a government-tasked committee researched how households live, yet the size and designs of homes being built now are still defined by that great but out-of-date report – from a time when we had sewing boxes in our living rooms and indoor toilets needed regulating. Until today there has been no evidence base that sets out how we are living now and what we want from our homes. This new research provides important evidence on which we can base some changes to the way our homes are designed, delivered, marketed and sold to us.’ Chief Executive of Ipsos MORI, Ben Page said: ‘The research graphically shows just how cramped and poorly planned much of our housing is today, and the extraordinary lengths people go to cope with it.  RIBA is absolutely right to draw attention to it.’

The ‘Way We Live Now’ report makes for interesting reading, but you can hardly be amazed or surprised at its findings.  Did modern architects and housing planners not realise that people like to have light airy rooms with big windows?  And space outside for children to play in safely, or for adults to relax in (hardly ‘new news’)?  And yes, of course householders want to have the ability to store their personal belongings actually under the roof of the home they live in; not down the road at their mum’s house!  The most telling thing in the report maybe the desire and preference for new homes to have ‘period features’ – like high ceilings; large windows, and just that simple feeling of a little bit more space around you – rather than the rabbit hutch sized homes that have become the norm for the ‘new affordable housing’ sector in the UK.  Have the UKs planners, architects and builders, become so totally detached and removed from the storage and living space needs of the average nuclear family living in new build housing?

If you do have a problem with lack of storage space in your home, and are wondering about your options; please give Lok’nStore a call for free friendly advice from the industry experts.  Storage at one of Lok’nStore’s 22 facilities isn’t expensive – you can rent a small storage unit from just a few pounds per week – enabling you to create a little space in your home, no matter what its size.  Please visit our website at www.loknstore.co.uk where you will find the location of your friendly local storage centre.

By Kevin Carter

Dear Nicola,

A few months ago I was put in a rather precarious situation, as my parents rather suddenly decided to move house. On their premises was a large Fairground Organ that I had been restoring, and I had to find new premises for it. I had 8 weeks to do this.

As a precaution, as a temporary measure, I investigated “Self Storage” companies in a 50 mile radius. In each and every case I had a problem as the door height to get this item in needed to be 7 ft 7 “. It was simply not possible, and time was running out.

When I contacted your Southampton storage centre, I was greeted with a much more “Can Do” attitude from your team. Discussions took place, and measurements were given. They went away and found me an ideal large unit, down stairs, with easy access…but more importantly, investigated the height issue, and found that they could unscrew a panel above the door giving me a 10ft height.

This all sounds simple, but, out of all of the 10’s of firms I spoke to, they were the only people who got up and made an effort for the customer. This is a rare commodity in today’s world…..staff that goes that extra mile.

Hence, I want you to know that Wendy, Kay and Brian deserve to be thanked.  At the 11^th hour we found a home for the organ, a private collector, so the problem was solved……but, if I need storage, then I know exactly who I will talk to, and recommend.

Please pass this email to the appropriate management, please telephone if you wish.

Kind Regards

Mr. Noyce