Valet Self-Storage Startup Closetbox Launches Service in Denver

Closetbox, a startup business specializing in valet self-storage services, recently launched in Denver. The company uses an online platform that allows customers to schedule free item pickup, print barcodes to affix to boxes and oversized belongings, and keep track of items using a private dashboard.

Founded by Marcus and Katy Mollmann, the company began serving the Denver metro area in May and has doubled revenue each month since its debut, according to the source. Customers can pay to store items by the box or reserve a set amount of storage space. Rent starts at $12 per month and $2 per box for bin storage, and ranges from $73 per month for 25 square feet of space to $228 per month for 200 square feet, according to the company website. The equivalent of a 10-by-10-foot space is $142 per month.

Closetbox uses two moving trucks and will pick up items for free as long as the customer rents for a minimum of two months. Belongings are stored in a climate-controlled warehouse. The company will deliver requested items within 24 hours for a fee, or customers may pick up items at the warehouse themselves, provided they schedule an appointment with 24-hour notice. The cost to return an item is equal to “the per-month amount of rent attributed to that single item,” according to the Closetbox website.

In addition to labeling boxes and larger items with unique codes, customers can include photos of belongings. Items can be tracked and viewed from a private, online dashboard.

Closetbox has been an attractive option to business customers downsizing to virtual offices as well as residential customers who don’t have enough room for furniture and other belongings, Marcus Mollmann told the source. “We've come down to certain apartment buildings that may be a little bit smaller than renters expected,” he said. “We've been able to store as little as a couch, where their couch wouldn't fit into their apartment.”

Smaller apartment size is a development trend in Denver. According to commercial real estate services firm HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP), the average apartment unit built since 2013 within two miles of Denver Union Station has shrunk more than 4 percent, from 807 to 773 square feet, the source reported.

Closetbox plans to expand its services this fall to Dallas, New Orleans and Santa Fe, N.M., according to the source. The company is similar to other recent startups across the nation, including Boxbee Simple Urban Storage in San Francisco, Cubiq in Boston, MakeSpace Labs Inc. in New York City, Remote Garage in San Antonio, and Storrage Inc. in Seattle.