Customer Stories

That was my dream as a young boy, back when dreaming was simpler, a few broken racquets and many never-seen-again balls ago. But as they say, closing doors opens new windows. It was 2010 and I had just moved out of my safe space to the south of Spain. Throughout my first weeks, I noticed a curious fact: I was unaware that padel is huge there. There were courts everywhere and, eventually, I got a job at a padel club, being responsible for managing the whole space, not just in Spanish, but also speaking English as there were many people moving from abroad to the city.

Every now and then I had to go to our storage unit, a mini warehouse on the other side of the street, to get boxes with more balls or new racquets. This was the time I first got in contact with the concept of self-storage. Instead of piling up stuff around, having stock safely stored nearby.

Way far from Roland Garros clay slides, but I had found space for a new passion. Alongside two colleagues we started an online business, mainly reselling sports clothing and some merchandise.

Later, we moved to Lisbon, bringing the brand with us. This move opened a big window. An emerging market in Portugal, and ultimately, what allowed us to be doing this for a living: designing and selling racquets. An idea with big potential and a bigger need for storage space, leading us to KUBOO Self-Storage, only 10 minutes driving from our flat in Lisbon’s city center.

We started with a not so big storage unit, just enough storage space to have some stock: a few boxes with clothing, ball tubes, racquets and a couple pairs of shoes.

The demand on our online shop kept growing, and so were our Kuboos. A single unit soon turned into two. Eventually a bigger one, with its space destined entirely for handmade racquets. At some point we’d come to KUBOO around 5 times a week, both during the day and night.

Our Kuboos became and now are, not only an extension of our office, but mostly our operations center. Five yellow doored storages filled with shelves, to make the best out of the available space, stocked with inventory to be shipped daily to padel and tennis clubs, players, enthusiasts, and those who have a small space for the sport in their lives, all around the Iberian Peninsula.

A hoarder of small insignificant objects that with time, became important to my well-being. How did that happen? I was a simple guy with no attachments, travelling most of the time, working, eating, sleeping, travelling. I had no chains to anything, until I suddenly did.

A hoarder’s life is difficult. Don’t underestimate the power of habit. Specially if you’re edging on OCD. It can get out of control in no time. And it did. My friends started realizing that I was collecting certain objects, specially Jukeboxes and Vinyls. I just couldn’t help it, I couldn’t stop myself, and instead of making me realize the excess I had become a victim to, they were offering me more vinyls, and more parts for my jukeboxes. Easy gifts. Friends are lazy.

I lived in a good-size house, where 4 jukeboxes fit nicely, but I was going on my 20th jukebox and I obviously was running out of space.

So here we are, the little ad for Kuboo coming out of this simple story, this is where I went, to Kuboo, this is the only place in town where I felt I was treated like the sensitive person that I am, and the sole place in town where I didn’t worry about my jukeboxes.

So here you go, you make your call when you need self-storage. Make sure you compare in depth all the components of the services you are being offered. Make no mistake, don’t believe self-advertising, don’t fall in the easy trap of companies who claim they’re the best, the most modern, the biggest, the supermen of storage. They’re mostly dishonest in claiming those championship titles without the slightest hint of a proof. Like Dr. House says: Everybody lies.

Don’t rent a warehouse, rent a Kuboo. It’s cleaner, safer, more secure and better conceived. Don’t rent a box, you’ll get stuck inside. Rent a Kuboo. Don’t rent a garage, it’s dirty and humid. Don’t rent a space! Who rents spaces? What’s a space anyways? And certainly don’t rent a basement! How horrible! Be it in Lisbon, or around, it’s a Kuboo you need. I promise you.

Until the next story.

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

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, stress is a “pressure or worry caused by the problems in someone’s life.” But what is a problem for me may not be for others. However, some events in our lives affect and impact us more than others.

4 of the events that can cause the most stressful situations in a person’s life are:
– The loss of a loved one;
– Divorce;
– Moving (or radical change in general);
– Work situation.

These are situations that cause a rupture in our routine, our life takes a different direction. There is no way to erase these events from our memory, but there are solutions that help us move forward with our lives. We bring you 4 cases that reflect some stressful situations, and how KUBOO helped to soothe those moments.

Lídia (43 years old), Lisbon

Today is Sunday, meaning family lunch day at our parents’ house. A tradition since we the children left home. We’re all at the table, mum, dad and siblings, reliving old stories in that house that brings back memories of our childhood and youth, the smell of old wood, the ticking of the wall clock, the vintage tableware, the family photos on the wall… how time has passed!

And then comes the day that you never wanted to come, the day when it’s all over, when our parents are not there anymore. It hurts, it really does! There’s not a day in our lives we don’t think about them. But life has to go on. And what do we do about the things in the house, our inheritance? Our parents worked their whole lives, they took care of that house like a child, the antique furniture, the porcelain, the turntable and radio cabinet, the coins and stamps collections, etc. Some things deserve a second chance.

But now, we’re 3 heirs of the family, how do we divide things up? Fortunately, nobody wants any hassle. But if we sell or throw them away, then there is no going back. Then why not keep it at KUBOO? We take things out of the house, put them in a secure place, in our new kuboo, exemplarily clean just like our parents’ house always was, and over time we will decide what to do with all those items.

New beginnings take time.

Bruno (31 years old), Cascais

I always thought marriage was for life. We celebrate our relationship with all our friends and family and swear oaths of love. “I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life”. This vow is universal. But let’s be realistic: in Portugal, in 2018 alone there were 58.7 divorces per 100 marriages!

And if a marriage takes months to organize, a divorce can drag on for years! And if there are children involved, the separation becomes even more complicated. The (still) spouses must decide whether to divorce by mutual consent or contested divorce. Lawyers come in, family mediation is requested, you think about your future. In my case, we had no children. But we had a house. And furniture I brought in from my old apartment, appliances she brought in from hers, and all the things we bought when we were already married.

She kept the house, I didn’t care. But we had to come to a property settlement agreement. We made a list of owned property and joint property and came to an agreement. It was over. Months of no sleep, antidepressants, therapies… I wanted to move on with my life! I put all my stuff at KUBOO while I looked for a place to live. And when I found that place, I continued to leave my stuff in KUBOO. The only place right now where I feel my belongings are safe. And everytime I go there, I bring back a box with me, and little by little I reintroduce those items into my life.

New beginnings take time.

END OF PART I

With my retirement approaching, I can say that this sentence has defined my path from the moment I decided to be a teacher. During the years I taught, in addition to memories, I also kept all the teaching books, gifts, drawings or even small messages written on paper that my students would give me.

With a career of almost 45 years as an elementary school teacher in Portugal, there were many memories that accumulated in the rooms that my daughters left when they became independent.

Without school, without my students, and with my daughters and grandchildren living in Lisbon, I decided to move closer to them, leaving behind the land where I grew up and lived and taking those memories with me. Looking for a house became more complicated than I expected because a house with a garage or a storage room, in Lisbon, Cascais or Oeiras is too expensive for the pockets of a retiring elementary school teacher.

When I shared the issue with friends and family, most of them advised me to rent a mini-warehouse or a self-storage where I could store all the memories of a lifetime. During my search for mini-warehouses in Lisbon several options came up, but since I don’t know anything about the concept of self-storage I asked my daughter if she knew of a safe, quality and hygienic space where I could store my belongings.

My daughter told me about a self-storage called KUBOO where a friend of hers had been renting a locker for over a year and that the friendliness of the staff, the accessibility and most importantly the safety made KUBOO a kind of a complement for her home. I decided to visit the space on the same weekend that I was visiting houses in Lisbon and in the Cascais area. It could be that the choice of the ideal house would become easier knowing that I had a space available that would offer me the feeling of enough trus to keep the memories of a lifetime.

I decided to visit the space on Saturday morning and then I would see some houses in the afternoon. I was amazed at how easy it was to get to KUBOO. Both Aboboda and Carnaxide.

Of course I was very well received with a coffee and a guided tour where I was amazed at the hygiene and safety of the place. From there we went to the facilities in Abóboda where once again it was very easy to get to. This one was closer to Cascais and suited me more.

Thanks to KUBOO, choosing a better house was much easier. I chose to live in Cascais and rent a space at KUBOO Abóboda. I went back to the facilities to make a reservation and to ask some questions about the best way to store my books, papers, gifts and photographs that I have kept over the years.

Since the hygiene of the facilities was something I could easily see, I did not worry about the possible entry of any kind of pests into the cardboard boxes that could destroy the material I was going to store there. But since it’s better to be safe than sorry, I preferred to ask the opinion of those who know what they are doing. That’s how I found out that they have a superior pest control program, 4 times a year!

Due to the great emotional value I have for the drawings, messages on small crumpled sheets, thousands of photographs, and because they are more fragile, they advised me to use double corrugated cardboard boxes, with a size very close to the merchandise, to prevent it from rocking and causing the boxes to burst. In addition, they recommended insulating all possible openings of the box with tape (at least two layers) or reinforcing the box externally with transparent film to give greater protection, solidity and resistance. I bought all the material at KUBOO, from cardboard boxes (there were several sizes), bubble wrap, tape, transparent film and markers, without having to worry about travel, queues and stress in another store selling these materials.

The move went wonderfully well, first going to KUBOO in Abóboda to put, in addition to my precious memories, the furniture that did not fit in the new house. KUBOO became an extension of my home and made my move simple and effective.

Now when my grandson asks me: “Grandma, what do you miss most about the times you used to teach?”, I answer: “Get your coat, let’s go to KUBOO!”.

Don’t store your memories anywhere!

My company, like all companies, has a love-hate relationship with archives. We want them out of sight, but close to the heart. They have contracts, minutes, banking information and other important documents that require the originals to be impeccably separated and organized (most often) in wide-brimmed dossiers that in addition to not being the most appreciated decorative object, occupy too much space in the office.

Since I am not a person to cross my arms and sit tight, I decided to look for a solution, because this work from home business became an extension of the company and my world began to be in black and white, just like the files that haunt me.

The solution came in shades of yellow, like a beautiful summer day!

When asking around, the idea of self-storage kept coming back. For me it was not a totally unknown concept but I never imagined it as storage for important documentation.

Security has always been one of my biggest concerns, what kind of documentation can I safely store in a warehouse? Can documents be degraded in storage due to humidity? I decided to start my research and get real answers.

Self-storage yielded a bunch of results for Lisbon, and so I got down to contacting all of them.

I started sending emails and making phone calls. I was determined to find the best space for my paperwork. With the search the doubts were accumulating; what size of space do I need to archive everything? Access? Safety? Prices? How about fire concerns? It was all new to me.

After several exchanges of phone calls, there was a company that captured my attention because of the sympathy and the simple way in which they answered my questions. After a friendly invitation to visit the space, I got in the car and when I arrived in the vicinity of the premises, I started seeing yellow signs directing me to what is KUBOO. The ease with which the path was indicated was only overcome with the kindness with which I was received, a smile and an invitation to a coffee.

The time has come to get to know the facilities, from a reception with a fantastic design where I felt at home right away, to clean corridors with a pleasant aroma wherever you walked and with plenty of lighting, they showed me different sizes and set-ups to choose the best option for me.

The security that has always been a problem for me is no longer the case! 24-hour manned security, 75 cameras for video surveillance linked to a central, meaning they’re not just for show, they are for real! And access control on every gate and door! I couldn’t have asked for more!

After choosing the space that best suited my needs, it was time to deal with the paperwork, fast and without much bureaucracy, straight to what matters and with the same sympathy with which they received me.

After storing all my paperwork in boxes at KUBOO, I was received like a hero back at the office. There were no more files and paperwork scattered around the desks, shelves and cabinets, the light finally entered through the windows and the work flowed. While enjoying every pat on the back and every thank you, I was interrupted by my boss: “I need the contracts made in 2016”, I stood up, smiled and said “Let’s go then consult our files, we don’t need to bring coins, coffee is on KUBOO!”