Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Motley.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My husband, Ed, and I were looking for a business to get into after his retirement. We happened upon a small self-storage facility located in Cool, Texas. We bought the facility, in 2008, to see if this was a good business to get into. We liked it and so we decided to find property to build a facility from the ground up. We thought being located near a lake and a busy highway would be the ideal spot. We found that property on the north side of Granbury on Highway 51.
We started out in 2011 with 52 units in 3 buildings for household storage. Soon we built a covered building to protect RVs. We filled the spaces very quickly. Then we built 2 large buildings to answer the demand boat storage and again those spaces filled quickly. We have added another building for household storage.
We also have available open parking in which boat trailers, RVs and utility trailers may park in the open exposed to the weather conditions. We also have the wonderful exposure of Highway 51 to help people sell their boats and RVs, which we call Park ‘n’ Sell. We are now up to 100 units and spaces to fill a tenant’s needs. Our facility is lighted, fenced and gated. We also sell packing supplies for moving or for storage.
We sold the self-storage facility in Cool in December of 2014. The facility in Granbury is the only facility we currently own.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This business is very easy to run either being in an office or remotely. The struggles in this business is keeping your cameras and computers always running.
Please tell us about LEM Hollow Self Storage.
Like many self storage businesses in this area, we are a “Mom and Pop” business. I run this business, while my husband continues his career as a Civil Engineer. I have an associate, Dorothy Truax, that helps me. She and I give advice to prospective tenants as to what size they may need and how to store their belongings. We try to make the experience of renting a unit personal and easy.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Both my husband, Ed and I wish we would have started in this business years ago. That is really the only regret we have. I feel that at each step in the process from securing the land and building units that we have thought out the next step fully. Sure, with some vendors that help make your vision come to life, you find out which is there for support when you need them. That is just the process you have to go through for any business. Hopefully by now, I have those vendors that are most reliable.
Contact Info:
- Address: 101 Killough Road, Granbury, Texas.
- Website: LEMHollowSelfStorage.com
- Phone: 817-573-6622
- Email: Linda@LEMHollowSelfStorage.com
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
