Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Walker.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Blue Crates was born out of personal necessity. Matt, my brother and Co-Founder of Blue Crates had been living in New York after graduating from school. While there to accommodate all of his things while living in a cramped space he elected to rent a public storage unit. It was really the only way that he could live in Manhattan and deal with such a lack of closet space.
After living in NYC, Matt decided to move to Chicago to get his graduate degree. Upon doing so he met a girl and they decided to move in together into a one bedroom apartment in River North. I too was living with my girlfriend at the time in my one bedroom apartment. It was clear that two people living in a one bedroom apartment was difficult, as closet space was never enough to handle all of our things.
Matt as a longtime self-storage user went out and got a self-storage unit to cope. In doing so he and his girlfriend would use it to store seasonal clothing. Big winter parkas stored in the summer and vice versa when the seasons changed. They were never storing large furniture items one traditionally thinks of when thinking about self-storage, but rather clothing and odds and ends, like sporting goods.
While this solution worked it was time consuming. Matt’s girlfriend didn’t have a car and that left Matt as the one shuttling their things back and forth. Spending hours at a storage facility when your schedule is already full is no fun. On top of this, the items that they were storing did not necessitate a 5/8 storage unit, the smallest offering at the facility closets to Matt. This was a solution, but it was time consuming, exhausting, and expensive at over $75 per month.
With Matt and I in similar situations, we figured that we can’t be the only people in Chicago experiencing this issue and that is when we put our heads together in creating Blue Crates. A cost-effective closet extension solution where we drop of our blue crates and wardrobes for people to pack on their schedules and store them in our climate controlled facility. When they want their things back they simply recall them at the touch of a button. We had created a closet extension solution for people that in essence brought all the storage that people needed right to their doorstep at a much more affordable price (starting at $7.50/month), all on their schedule.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like any road I feel the journey is never all that smooth, nor do you necessarily end up where you planned when you planned on arriving. Best laid plans… That said along the way you handle the ups and downs and you learn from them. I think one of our major realizations along this road was the introduction to a new product offering in our moves rentals.
We realized that we had all these crates and wardrobes and that we should put them to work if they are not being used in a storage capacity. We put them to use by renting them to people that are moving within the Chicagoland area. Instead of using those traditional flimsy cardboard boxes that you have to source, construct and tape up we simply drop off our eco-friendly, industrial strength crates directly to your door and pick them up at the conclusion of your move. The best part is that we realized that we could offer this service at the same price to people that they would pay for an inferior product that is cardboard boxes.
No Tape! No Cardboard! No Hassle!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Blue Crates – what should we know?
Blue Crates specializes in allowing urbanites the ability to live the curated lifestyle that they would like to live. They have made the decision to live in the city and with this decision comes some drawbacks, the largest of which is often closet and storage space. Blue Crates allows these individuals a very affordable option in creating what we like to think of as an infinitely extendable closet. Gone are the days of having to store your golf clubs next to the couch or your large luggage taking up all of the space in the hall closet. Gone are the days of bickering over closet space and drawers when living with someone. Blue Crates eliminate these issue with ease and affordability.
I am most proud of this fact because we have created a product that truly enhances people’s lives. I truly believe that everyone living in Chicago can and one day will benefit from the use of at least one Blue Crate. Why would you stuff your closet with clothes you have no use for 6 months out of the year when for less than $20 a month you can live much more comfortably?
Clearly having an extended closet brought to you sets apart from the alternative of going to a self-storage facility, moving, or rebuilding your closet, which for a renter is not an option.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Nobody makes it on their own and in this case, we are no different. When we started out, my dad was our delivery guy. He is a 71-year-old Ph.D. driving a delivery truck and I think that says it all. Love you Dad! There are many more people that have helped out along the way including my mom and my girlfriend for moral support.
Bob Gillespie, Jill Brosig, and Eric Potter from the Elmspring Accelerator have been instrumental in our growth as well as Tom Alexander and Howard Tullman of 1871.
I have also met some wonderful cheerleaders of Blue Crates in Jim Sayegh and Michael Waitzman. They have both been great at getting the word out and making some very key connections for us when we were just getting started. And without the help of Katherine Stammer, many of the projects that we are currently working on would not have gotten off the ground.
Pricing:
- Crate $7.50/month
- Wardrobe $15.50/month
- Oversized Item (Bike, Luggage, Christmas Tree, Etc…) $10.00/month
- Studio Moving Package $99.00
- 1 Bedroom Moving Package $149.00
- 2 Bedroom Moving Package $199.00
- 3 Bedroom Moving Package $249.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bluecrates.com
- Phone: 312-888-0367
- Email: info@bluecrates.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realbluecrates/ or @realbluecrates
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluecrates/
- Twitter: @realbluecrates
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-crates-chicago
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