BinSwap, a startup business specializing in valet self-storage, has launched service in more than 45 neighborhoods across Greater Chicago. The company uses an online platform that allows customers to schedule item pickup, maintain a visual catalog of stored belongings, and schedule delivery of specific bins or bulky items to their home.
Similar to other valet-style storage operators, BinSwap offers by-the-bin storage targeted at customers who don’t have adequate storage in their home or business. Items are stored in climate-controlled locations managed by the company, according to its website. Monthly pricing is $7.50 per bin, which is 4 cubic feet. Customers can use their own boxes as long as they meet BinSwap size and weight requirements. The company will also store oversized items up to 50 pounds, beginning at $15 per month.
Customers aren’t allowed to visit BinSwap storage locations but can manage their belongings and schedule return deliveries through a photographic dashboard. Customers receive one complimentary return delivery of a bin or bulky item each month. Additional deliveries are $20, according to the website.
The company was founded last year behind partners Angus Frost, a technology, operations and strategy expert, and Alex Pearsall, a real estate developer. “Through our personal and professional lives, we’ve identified a need for an alternative to traditional storage,” Pearsall said in a press release. “No one likes clutter, but sometimes it is just too much of a project to take on an additional storage unit. We developed BinSwap as an alternative for those smaller storage needs.”
BinSwap launched with community service as part of its model. The company initially donated 25 percent of proceeds to local schools chosen by each customer. It has since expanded its philanthropic efforts to other initiatives, including the Oak Park theater group and the Roscoe Village Neighborhood Association.
Source:
BinSwap, Website