Mobile Storage Warehouses Furnishings in Limbo

Northwest Arkansas Mobile Storage Inc.
Owner: Carey Schumann
Address: 327 W. Poplar St., Fayetteville 72703
Phone/Fax: (866) 679-2323 or (479) 442-9992 or (479) 631-2323
Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Startup date: June 1
Web site: www.nwamobilestorage.com

Carey Schumann’s new service should appeal to homeowners wanting to clear the clutter to make their home more appealing for the real estate market, or those having to move to a temporary home until their new house is built or available. Schumann’s new mobile storage business provides a storage box that is loaded and taken to his warehouse for storage until the items are needed again.

Northwest Arkansas Mobile Storage boxes hold up to 2,000 pounds — about one and a half rooms of furniture and belongings. They are 8-foot long, 5.5-foot wide and 6.5-foot tall.

Schumann, office manager for Bear Transportation Services, said he’d been looking for a way to start his own business when he heard about the mobile storage concept. He built the wooden containers, bought a truck with a forklift, rented a warehouse and hired an employee to handle it all. The boxes cost him about $700 to make, but he has since discovered a manufacturer that can make them cheaper.

Schumann said he hopes to eventually be in an inter-state network of other mobile storage businesses to handle long-distance moves for his customers.

The storage boxes cost about $50 per month to rent. The company charges a one-time fee of $20 to $25 for transporting the box, depending on the location.

Startup costs were a personal investment by Schumann that he said he’d rather not share, but he predicted it might be as long as three years before he starts making a real profit.