Vasco (35 years old), Lisbon
Just thinking about it makes me tired. Every time I open my closet and see all the clothes I have…
I don’t even know where to start! But let’s go back 21 months. Vânia and I always dreamed of living in a house in the country, making our tailor-made renovations, having our own garden, our little vegetable garden, no neighbors above or below, our own parking space! A sense of simple freedom.
The houses on the market were very expensive, but we went looking, without any hurry. We contacted some Real-estate agencies, we received several offers of houses for sale every day, the agents wouldn’t let us go, but nothing interesting came.
We made so many visits, so many disappointments and desillusions, but no house. And then the meetings with the bank, literally doing the math over and over again. We gathered our money, made credit approvals, simulations, guarantees… see how far we could stretch the rope. And one day, we found the one that was to be our little corner! The location was good, the spaces were well organized, the volumes wide with lots of natural light.
Paperwork done, key in hand, House bought!
But now we had another mission ahead of us: deal with the moving. When do we do it? Should we hire a moving company? We had to do some work in the new house, but the old one was already sold and we had to move out. So what now? We rented a house as we waited, but what about our things?
The solution was simple: KUBOO. We called and they recommended a moving company and took care of everything for us with them. We came to an agreement that they would take all our stuff to the warehouse. And here we are today. Filling the boxes we bought at KUBOO. Some are bigger than others. In my case, and with so many clothes I have, I’d better start with the big boxes. Vânia is more practical and the medium boxes fit her perfectly. It has been 21 months non-stop, our bank account is unrecognizable, but soon better days will come.
New beginnings take time.
Patricia (29 years old), Carnaxide
I’m daddy’s little girl. It’s not something I aspired to be, but I’m an only child and my father always treated me like a princess. He owned a small restaurant in Lisbon. Simple place, traditional food, Fado on weekends, and the best duck rice in the world! My father’s dream was for me to take over his restaurant. When he retired, and to please him, I ended up taking over the place.
The duck rice continued to be among the best in the world. I had everything pretty organized and working, the employees were happy with my management, and that was reflected in the friendliness towards the customers. We were open 7 days a week, and even started taking dinner reservations.
But then the damn Covid arrived. I was prepared for everything except to see the restaurant closed, the clients not leaving their homes, my employees with families to feed, the Fado singers in silence… At first we lived in fear of catching the virus. But the money started running out and my main fear became having to close the restaurant. Desperate months followed, I couldn’t even sleep! I had a team of employees to take care of and the responsibility to save the restaurant that once belonged to my father.
Later, the restaurants reopened, but with limited access. That’s when I made the best decision. The dining space was small and to make it more profitable, I converted one of the storage rooms into a restaurant area. We gained more space, and therefore more diners. And where did the storage things end up? Simple: I took everything to KUBOO Self-Storage in Carnaxide, a big and modern facility with mini-warehouses for everyone and every circumstance. I rented a Unit (or Kuboo as they call it) and stored everything on shelves that went from wall to wall.
It was only a 15 minute drive from the restaurant!
Even during the pandemic, the rental process was easy, simple and fast. In less than 10 minutes, I had my Kuboo and paperwork ready. KUBOO also provides an app that allows me to open all access gates from my mobile phone without touching any of the keypads, to help ensure total safety.
Fortunately my decision on renting a storage box at KUBOO was well worth it: the once small restaurant was now able to accommodate more customers, even with the restrictions imposed. The restaurant was saved, as well as all the people who lived off the restaurant. And I kept my father’s dream alive. KUBOO says they have the best coffee in the world, I have the best duck rice in the world. But we both value the happiness of our employees.
It took some time. But new beginnings do take time.
THE TOTAL END