As business tenants leave, former homeowners fill the void

<p>One gauge of the slumping economy is the growing number of courtesy calls self-storage site managers make to remind tenants to pay the rent.</p><p>Leading the list are construction workers, sales representatives, restaurant owners and other self-employed workers struggling to keep their businesses alive.</p><p>“They’re not ignoring their bills. They’re responsible. The bottom just fell out. It’s a sign of the times,” said Brian Lane, site manager for Stor-N-Loc in Santa Rosa.</p><p>Business tenants are increasingly giving up storage units because they can no longer afford the expense, contributing to a rise in vacancies at some facilities, according to self-storage facility managers.</p><p>Helping fill the void are refugees from the sinking housing market — homeowners who lost houses to foreclosure.</p><p>“There’s quite a few families. They just pile their stuff in here,” said Les Kiracofe, site manager for Santa Rosa Avenue Self Storage.</p><p>The comings and goings at self-storage sites reflect the instability wrought during the recession gripping Sonoma County. The trend also reveals the little-known role such facilities play in the local economy.</p><p>Small businesses often rely on storage units to stockpile equipment and inventory, sometimes renting multiple units for many years.</p><p>“We’re feeling the pinch from longtime tenants. They will move out to save money. Money is tight,” Lane said.</p><p>George Young is a longtime tenant at Santa Rosa Avenue Self Storage, where he stores construction equipment in a pair of units. While his business is hanging on, Young has watched a number of others move into smaller spaces or pull out of the facility altogether.</p><p>“As times get harder, they’re re-evaluating their needs and selling stuff. Some are downsizing. We’ve had businesses in here that went bust,” he said.</p><p>The general slowdown in business activity is apparent in rising equipment sales and declining deliveries companies take at self-storage sites.</p><p>“We’ve had several restaurants that went out of business. They need storage until they sell off their equipment,” Kiracofe said.</p><p>Loss of tenants has resulted in a 5 to 10 percent decline in occupancy at the self-storage sites Kerry Ishmael oversees in Santa Rosa. The hit would be worse if not for homeowners renting units, he said.</p><p>Homeowners who lost houses to foreclosure often need storage space after moving into apartments or another family member’s home.</p><p>These tenants typically do their best to make the monthly rent and avoid losing their belongings at an auction, site managers said.</p><p>“If their whole house is in there, they’re going to figure a way to make sure that bill is paid. Everything they own is in there,” said Debbie Smith, site manager for A-1 Mini Storage, in Santa Rosa.</p><p>-- You can reach Staff Writer Michael Coit at 521-5470 or mike.coit@pressdemocrat.com.</p>