Sandy and Larry Field have owned Sandy’s Place, an Amish shed and furniture store in Scio, New York, for some time, but they never thought about using the same kinds of sheds they were selling for another business until recently. According to the industry news source, InsideSelfStorage.com, the couple opened a self-storage business venture earlier this month right behind Sandy’s Place called Field Mini Storage.
“The sheds are all wooden, brand new and constructed by the Amish,” Sandy said. “You won’t see any daylight coming through them. They are very secure and well-built. They even have venting.”
The Fields opened the doors to their new business with 10 sheds of varying sizes, from 8X8 to 10X16 feet, available for private storage. They could have even more by now as they’ve been waiting to get in even bigger units from their supplier.
The idea to start a second business began when the two started recently talking about Larry’s impending retirement in a few years, and they wanted something else, relatively easy, to do. They already had the connections from years of selling the Amish furniture and products, which are 100% handcrafted in Amish communities, and they found there could be a growing demand for these specific services.
“We inquired around and found that most of the places with units are already filled, so we thought it would be a good business to get into,” Sandy told the Wellsville Daily Reporter.
Although some might question the security of a wooden shed, the units will be monitored 24/7 with motion sensor cameras. The sheds are green with a black trim and located down a gravel road in the back of Sandy’s Place.
It’s unclear how much they’ll charge for individual units, but a report from the Wellsville Daily Reporter says they will offer a $5 discount per month to customers who sign up for a three-month contract.