Boxit, a newly launched storage service in Toronto, aims to make stowing away your stuff as easy as possible.
“We think of ourselves as Dropbox for real life,” said Lauren Long, one of the co-founders of the company. Long came up with the idea with her partners Gordie Best and Michael Fok, after noticing that most downtown condos and apartments lack sufficient storage room.
Space, after all, is become a hotter and hotter commodity.
“Even though self-storage exists, it’s not a great solution. It’s inconvenient to drive out and put your stuff there and if someone’s storing fewer things, they’re really paying for the space that they’re not using,” she explained.
So if your banker’s box of tax documents is taking up valuable real estate in your apartment, you can call up Boxit and have them stow it away until you need to go over finances again. It’s not a one-size fits all solution: your box of documents won’t languish in a storage unit 10 times its size.
You simply call up Boxit to have plastic bin delivered to your door, schedule a pick up time and have them take it off your hands. You pay for the amount of space you’re using in the secured storage unit and if you want it back, just contact the company for next-day delivery to your door.
And there’s less ambiguity about keeping track of where your possessions actually are. If you can’t remember if your sweater is packed off in a box or just hiding at the bottom of your closet, you can view the contents of your box online. Just click if you want it delivered back to you.
Long, Best and Fok launched the idea with Next 36, an entrepreneurial initiative that connects business-minded undergrads across Canada and provides them with mentorship and funding to get their businesses off the ground.
Long said that although their venture currently serves Toronto-proper (and is proving popular in condo-heavy areas in the downtown), the business idea is primed for expansion.
“We want to take the Dropbox model and let people share their stuff with their family and friends,” she said. “Imagine you have your camping gear boxed up and your friend wants to borrow it. Instead of requesting a delivery back to your place, you can have it delivered to your friend’s place.”
The only problem with Boxit? If you sign up for the service, you won’t be able to blame your messy condo or over-burdened closet on your lack of space again.
Photo: Patrick DB/Flickr.
