Category Archives: Absecon Storage Solutions

A Very Special Season – Field of Dreams

Spring has sprung here at The Storage Inn in Egg Harbor Township New Jersey, and the reminders are everywhere! The storage rental office windows are cracked in the afternoon, allowing the spring breeze to flow through, carrying the sounds of chirping birds along.

Spring also brings waves of storage space tenants retrieving warm weather items from their units – stored things like bicycles, sports equipment, and patio furniture seem to be most popular.  All of this spring activity reminds me that nothing says Spring quite like the crack of a baseball bat, or the sound of a ball hitting a glove!

Here at The Storage Inn we are proud to sponsor a very special baseball program in our area – The South Jersey Field of Dreams!

The South Jersey Field of Dreams is a place where physically and mentally challenged children and adults can play and participate in that Great American Pastime – Baseball.  

 

A Little History….

In 2003 the city of Absecon, NJ generously donated a new baseball field at their Dr. Jonathan Pitney Recreation Park for this Field of Dreams. Chuck Dhyne, games director at Field of Dreams, co-founded the league in 2003 with Barry Hackett, Larry McCarty, John Glassey and Jeff Hayden. He said he has seen high school athletes come back year after year to volunteer on weekends for both the spring and fall leagues.

“They get as much out of it as our kids do playing the game, and that’s really nice to see,” he said. “It’s great. They continue to call us to come back the following years and we keep adding additional groups. Most high schools in the area participate.”

The league features 14 teams. Two teams are for ages 6 to 9, four are for ages 10 to 14 and eight are for ages 14 and older.

What started as a dirt infield and backstop now has multiple pavilions, a merchandise stand, concessions stand, courtyard, mini-golf, an exercise trail, and an outfield fence filled with posters of local sponsors.

In 2012, with help from fundraising and a $25,000 donation from Ronald McDonald House Charities, Field of Dreams was upgraded with a state-of-the-art turf field.


Thanks to various sponsors, fundraising, and donations, players and their families don’t even have to pay for concessions on game days.

Dhyne said he enjoys seeing parents watch their children being able to participate in a group activity such as baseball.

“It may be the first time their kids play a team sport,” he said. “They can sit in the stands and watch their kids play a team sport, but they can also network with each other to find out about other programs, and their kids start making friendships on their team.”

“The first week everyone is getting used to it, they’re hitting off the tee. By the second week they’re hitting off the pitcher. By the last week they don’t want anyone to help them,” Miller said. “It’s always great to see the confidence they begin to have, and they make a lot of friends along the way.”

So, while the start of baseball season brings happiness to many Americans, it means something extra special here at The Storage Inn. I will be attending the opening day games, and can’t wait to see the big smiles on all the players and parents faces.

PLAY BALL!!!

The Storage Inn offers extra space for when you’re downsizing your living space!

Downsizing and Self Storage

There are plenty of reasons why people decide it’s time to downsize their lives and move into a smaller living space including wanting less house to manage, retiring to a active adult community, health concerns, or the need for assisted living. Whatever the reason, downsizing can be a daunting task, but the The Storage Inn Self-Storage in Egg Harbor Township, and Ocean City, NJ can be a huge benefit for you in making that transition easier especially if you’re one of the following:

Empty Nesters
The kids have moved out! You can finally turn their bedroom into that office you always wanted, the dream craft room, or a guest bedroom. The possibilities are endless! So, what are you to do with all that extra stuff taking up extra space they left behind – bed, desk, dresser, etc.?
The Storage Inn can solve your extra space issues – with over 45 storage space sizes to choose from, it’s the perfect solution! It can also ease the transition for you and your adult kids when they move out. Place their items into a storage unit and give them access to it. This gets their stuff out of the way at home, but still makes it easy for them to access everything when needed. 

Retirees
Congratulations on your retirement! We all dream of that day when we can sleep in with no alarm and do all those things we’ve dreamt of for years, like traveling the world, or finding new hobbies.

If retirement means moving to a smaller home perhaps in a 55 and over community, the good news is no more shoveling snow or cutting the grass!  The challenge is that you now have less than half of the storage space that you had in your old home!

Where are you going to put the 30 years of stuff you’ve accumulated but can’t bear to get rid of yet?
This is where a self storage space can come to the rescue! The staff at The Storage Inn is always happy to offer tips to help you sort and save the items that may have sentimental value to your family as well as the ones that you made need easy access to throughout the year.

Assisted Living
Transitioning into an assisted living facility, or helping a loved one through this process, is a challenging endeavor. How do you deal with a lifetime of personal belongings that very likely will not fit into your new senior living community? Often, time is of the essence, and the need for storing these items must be met quickly! This is where self-storage comes to the rescue! Many times, the best solution is to rent a large to mid-sized storage space until items can be sorted and consolidated into a smaller storage unit for long term storage.

 

Whether you’re an empty nester, happy new retiree, or relocating to an assisted living community, The Storage Inn can help make the transition a bit easier. Here are some of the features that we offer…

  • Award-winning, Local family owned business.
  • Clean Safe and Secure Storage featuring 24 hour Video Surveillance and a Resident Security Manager.
  • 7 day office hours and access.
  • 45 storage sizes to ensure that you don’t pay for more than you need!
  • Climate Control units.
  • 10 foot ceilings / 20% more space than industry standard
  • Full array of packing supplies available in our office store.
  • Free Wi-Fi, Copy, Print, Shred and Fax
  • Senior Discounts
  • Home of the $1 move-in/ Free Truck Rental

Our Storage Inn professionals will be happy to answer any questions you may have – from unit size and features, to arranging a unit for easier access. Stop by The Storage Inn in Egg harbor Township, or Ocean City, NJ today for more information on how we can help with your transition to a smaller living space and keep your lifetime of items organized along the way!

 

Time to Give the Shed a Spring Cleaning

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Time to Give the Shed a Spring Cleaning

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz’ – I wonder where my lawn mower is!?! Looks like it’s time to clean out and organize the shed storage space for the warm weather months. So, let’s get started – first, go to the shed and open the door. Now ask yourself what you could possibly have been thinking when you left it in this condition at the end of last season! Be that as it may, we still need to get organized, so here are a few tips…..

Everything out!
I know that this does not sound like fun, but we need to see exactly what we have, what we still need , and what can go. Set aside any items that you no longer need, or that need to be replaced. Also create a group for items that you want to keep, but that don’t necessarily need to be in the shed.

Self Storage Solutions

Clean Up Time
Time to sweep out, and wipe down the floors shelves and work bench areas. You may want to check the items that you are storing to see if they need to be wiped off or hosed down before returning them to the shed.

Re-group and Replace
Now that everything is out, and your space is clean, it’s time to reorganize, and place your items back into the shed. Store the items that will be used most often toward the front of the space. Items that get used less frequently can be stored further back. Leave yourself a path to reach all of your warm weather items when needed. Hanging tools on walls or pegboard, as well as keeping smaller items in cans or plastic containers, can also free up additional storage space. If you find yourself still in need of more storage space for items, such as your Fall fire pit, or those Christmas decorations that you found, you may want to consider a small self-storage space. Your local self-storage facility will be happy to assist!

Now you are organized and ready to enjoy all of the fun of  lawn mowing, weed whacking, weed pulling, painting, gutter cleaning, hedge trimming, etc…. oh well, hopefully you will get to use the bicycles and beach chairs once or twice before winter returns!

By Jerry Brown
4/5/16