Belfair Self-Storage celebrates 10 years

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 08, 20220

Not many self-storage businesses can celebrate a decade in business with a performance by a two-time Grammy nominee, but Belfair Self-Storage plans to.

Manager Barbara Treick invites the public to the 10-year anniversary of the business on Sept. 21 at 23270 NE state Route 3. Vince Redhouse, Native American Music Award winner and National Jazz Hero recipient, will perform at 1 p.m., with appetizers and beverages available, followed by a presentation at 1:30 p.m. and a prize drawing at 2 p.m.

When COVID closed the venues Redhouse and other artists relied on, Treick offered space at the business, especially on what’s called the “art wall,” to help keep those folks going. Treick said this month’s celebration is about the achievements of the business, where she’s worked for most of its history.

“Bonavista Management bought the place 10 years ago, and I started working here 9½ years ago,” Treick said. “After three years of working weekend duty, the full-time manager at the time gave notice, and I turned out to be a perfect fit for the position.”

Treick said her managerial duties have turned out to be suited to her skills and interests, from how working in customer service satisfied her need for “moderate socialization” on the job to how the “organizational follow-through” of administrative work keeps her mind active.

After eight years, she found a new outlet for her artistic impulses by securing her employers’ approval for an art wall.

As much as Treick has loved getting to know the artists, she said the side attraction would be meaningless if the business didn’t serve its customers well. She said Belfair Self-Storage has repeatedly been named among the best storage facilities in Mason County.

Treick said she has overseen upgrades in the facility’s cameras and other security equipment, and described herself as focused on maintaining cleanliness.

“Some of our customers, they’re taking trips out of the country, and they’re giving us everything they have to keep track of until they get back,” Treick said. “So I treat their belongings with the same care I would my own stuff, because I know what it’s like to lose things that you love, and I see us as holding a huge responsibility.”

When Belfair Self-Storage’s liaison with Bonavista Management retired, she found herself stepping into that role too.

“I just started making a number of decisions regarding maintenance and repair on my own,” Treick said. “In response, I was told I could authorize anything below a given dollar amount, without checking in with my bosses first, so long as it was for the good of the company.”

Treick invites the public to see what her customers have found appealing about Belfair Self-Storage on Sept. 21 with trinkets that include car windshield sun protectors, umbrellas, coffee mugs and soda can cozies, all bearing the business’ colors, in a patterned design developed by Treick.