Spatial relations
Amherst resident runs storage business
by KEATON T. DEPRIEST Cheektowaga Editor

General Manager Frank Jacobi, of Amherst, stands in front of his business, Atlas Self Storage, which is headquartered at 550 Cayuga Road in Cheektowaga. Photo by John Rusac

His company believes that, until life dictates it, its services may not be needed.

Amherst resident Frank Jacobi, general manager of Atlas Self Storage, headquartered at 550 Cayuga Road, Cheektowaga, said his business is all about making it easy for customers to pack, store and haul their belongings.

Atlas also has another Western New York location, at 1348 Ridge Road, Lackawanna, and Jacobi said plans are in motion for a third building to be built in a still undetermined location.

Both facilities have been open for public use for the past six months, and Jacobi said there is a lot to offer at his storage units that other businesses may not have.

"We cater to a lot of businesses, such as doctors or lawyers, and we also deal with residents as well," he said.

At the Cheektowaga location, there are a total of 560 storage units; there are 510 units in Lackawanna. Half of the storage units at each location, Jacobi said, are individually climate controlled.

The climate-controlled storage units do not allow the temperature to go below 55 degrees in the winter months or above 78 degrees in the summer.

"They are definitely the more popular units for us that customers request," he added.

In addition, Jacobi said each unit has lights that are automatically turned on when the garage door opens.

"The (automatic) lights are something that makes our company unique," he said.

Units range in size, from 5 feet wide by 5 feet deep to 10 feet wide by 30 feet deep.

Each Atlas location also features a full service U-Haul dealership and a full store with packing supplies.

"With us, a U-Haul truck can be arranged within 24 hours of our notification," Jacobi said. "We just want to make it as convenient as possible."

Along with the trend toward more technological advances, the business also boasts closed circuit televisions, designed to make the facility as secure, Jacobi said.

Each night the video files are fed to the computer server at the main office on Cayuga Road. Customers are on surveillance beginning at the main gate, where a personalized code allows access, all the way through the grounds of the facility.

Jacobi added that each unit is rented in 30-day spans, free of sales tax. The company does not lease the properties.

Within the next couple of months, Jacobi will be expanding Atlas into Canada, with three storage facilities planned to open in Hamilton, Ontario in the next year.

"I have friends that live up there," he said. "I saw great opportunities there that I believe we can take advantage of."

Atlas Self Storage's offices are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays.

For more information, call the main office in Cheektowaga, at 626-2442.

e-mail: kdepriest@beenews.com