Meet the A-1 Self Storage Facility: Alhambra, California

We love encouraging our facilities to be the best they can be. What better way to do that than with a little friendly competition!? 

Ever wonder what it takes for one of our facilities to become “Facility of the Year”? We talked to Kevin Walker, Professional Self Storage Associate at A-1 Self Storage in Alhambra, CA, this year’s Facility of the Year, to find out just that. 

With more than 50 A-1 Self Storage facilities in California, Kevin was surprised and honored that his facility won 2017’s top award. 

“Winning facility of the year is a really humbling experience for me as a manager, because it’s my first time,” Kevin said, “Considering the storage location is only 3 years old, compared to other stores that have been around for many many years, it’s really impressive that we won.”

Built in 2014, this facility was designed with a small footprint and a low profile in order to fit in aesthetically with the surrounding neighborhoods such as Auto Row, West Main Street, Mission Palm, and the surrounding shopping centers. 

“You don’t see large areas of driveways that might detract from the neighborhood. A lot of people assume that we’re an office building, because it blends in well. It even has the color scheme” he said. 

The facility features fresh landscaping elements, strong security features, and an intuitive design in order to provide easy access for renters. 

This means A-1 Self Storage has some of the longest access hours in Alhambra. This facility can be accessed from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. everyday of the year including holidays. Kevin says these features are appreciated by the Alhambra community. 

With floors and floors of storage units, some facilities are content to leave cleaning to outside services. Not Kevin! He and his team pride themselves on every floor of their facility being as clean as the day it opened.

“We do have a janitorial service that comes once a week, but we’re out there most of the time. We like to see what’s going on visually. Anything that needs to be fixed, we catch it first,” he said. 

Customers are able to sleep easy knowing that the contents of their storage units are under the watchful eye of Kevin and his team. This not only helps everyone feel a sense of community when they are renting with A-1 Self Storage in Alhambra, but also makes it less likely that undesirable behavior will occur at the facility. 

This facility also features a state-of-the-art elevator system. Not only are the elevators roomy enough to accommodate the largest furniture easily, they control access to each floor using a code system that restricts each tenant’s access to the floor for their specific unit. That same code allows tenants to access their individual unit. 

Using this system allows tenants the convenience of a “two code” security system instead of multiple barriers to entry. In addition, all the doors are armed by Bay Alarm and monitored 24/7 by security cameras. 

This Alhambra storage facility features a large retail store where customers can buy boxes of varying sizes, packing materials like tape, peanuts, and everything in between! Kevin says this helps makes moving a lot easier for not just customers, but anyone who needs supplies.

“We offer a 25% discount if 10 or more boxes of any size are purchased. You don’t have to be a renter here either. It’s a great way to be cost effective with supplies you probably already need,” Kevin said.

Should renters need additional assistance when moving in, the facility offers push carts and there is a truck rental facility that is only a 5-minute walk from the building. 

With all that said, is it any wonder A-1 Self Storage in Alhambra won Facility of the Year? When asked what set his facility apart from others in Alhambra, Kevin credited his success to A-1 Self Storage’s culture. 

“Everyone has 5 ft x 5 fts and 10 ft x 35 fts. You can have the same specials, you can have the same layout, but it’s the people and the crew that make the difference,” Kevin said. “I’ve learned a lot from some great people on the team and it’s had a big influence on how successful we’ve been.”