ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Several of the lasting images from Hurricane Ian include all of those flooded and submerged vehicles – sports cars and classic cars. Some of them worth a lot of money.
So, talk about timing.
A new first-of-its-kind car storage company has just opened its doors in the Tampa Bay area this month, giving people a way to keep those expensive rides high and dry.
One look inside St. Peterburg’s new Car Locker and you can quickly see it’s not your average storage spot.
“You can bring your car and storage and know it is safe, and you won’t have to worry about it,” said Car Locker’s manager Sam Thrun.
Thrun and his family just opened Car Locker a couple of weeks ago. Right after Hurricane Ian demonstrated just how quickly cars can get swamped or swept away.
“We will store anything you want to store. But a lot of what we store here is higher-end cars,” said Thrun.
The 13,000-square-foot building sits 42 feet above sea level and is built like a bunker.
“We just put $2 million into the building itself with a new roof, new AC, new fire suppression system, CO2 system, new security system,” said Thrun. “We also fortified the walls where we cut from the ceiling to the floor, put rebar in and then poured it with concrete.”
What also makes Car Locker unique is its one-stop-shop approach.
It’s not just vehicle storage but also offers consignment services for those considering selling their rides. There’s also a concierge and indoor detailing service on location.
“This is the type of facility that attracts expensive collector cars,” said client Jim Reichert, who’s partial to Porches himself.
“It’s not just a hurricane, but it’s a brutal climate if you don’t have something that’s of value in a protected place,” Reichert said referring to the region’s heat, humidity and salty air. “And they’ve done that here.”
Car Locker offers month-to-month, sixth-month and annual leases for around $450 to $500 a month.
They can usually handle about 60 to 80 cars at a time.
But in the event of a storm, Thrun says they are ready and willing to pack the place to protect people’s investments.
“We’ll have about 100 cars in here. We’ll fill up the isles, any space just to make sure that we can take it there as many people as we can,” he said.
Car Locker says it also works with local mechanics who specialize in high-end and classic vehicles for any client whose car might need repairs.
They say they’re already looking at opening another location in Pinellas County.