When garage space is limited, owners of Castle Rock Auto Storage, Jay and Mandie Simpson, have the remedy.
“I came up with this idea because I raced with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America),” Jay explains. “I always had the guys I raced with asking me what I did with my car in the winter. I told them I stored it in my garage. They kept asking, ‘Well, can I rent a bay of your garage?’”
It was then that Jay realized there was a need for racers and everyday car owners to have a space where they could keep their cars.
After exploring warehouse space, Jay decided to purchase land in Castle Rock and design a building from scratch.
“It’s basically for people who have too many cars for their garage,” Jay says. “I have luxury cars in there, but I also store for a lot of the Fort Carson soldiers when they deploy. They don’t want to leave their car on the base…I give them free battery trickle.”
The battery trickle option Jay offers is $25 for non-veterans. This process allows the battery to remain full, as cars that don’t run for extended periods often result in a dead battery. This process protects individuals, such as veterans, who need to leave their vehicles for extended periods, often for months or years.
“The average customer we have is a person who has either a third or fourth car, and they have either a two or three-car garage. And this is either a sports car or a luxury car that they’ll store in the winter and then typically drive like an SUV or some type of car that does better in the winter,” Jay says. “Then during the summer, they’ll take the sports car home and store the sedan or SUV.”
There’s no limit to the number of times customers want to exchange their car, and the lease is on the parking space, not the car. Customers show up, hand over the keys, and have their car delivered to them valet-style.
Castle Rock Auto Storage offers a two-month minimum term, after which customers can continue with month-to-month billing, with the option to opt out at any point. With winter coming, this is perfect for those who need storage during the heavy snow months of January and February.
“I have done it at least four times where I stored a car for hiding it for a birthday or something,” Jay says. “I just had a gentleman come in, just retired out of Fort Carson, that’s got a car he just bought for his daughter.”
The idea of being in on surprises for people is part of the magic of owning his garage. Between that, helping veterans, and discussing cars, Jay has found his sweet spot.
“The most interesting thing for me is getting to talk cars with people every time they come in,” Jay explains. “It is a fascinating thing because cars are an emotional thing for a lot of people.”
“I’ve always had a station wagon,” Jay says happily. “Everybody gets the same service, it doesn’t matter what car it is.”
Jay reminisces, saying, “At one time I had [a car] from every decade from the teens to 2025, except the 1940s. The oldest vehicle in the building is a 1911 Hudson.”
With over 100 spaces available, being local to the community and passionate about discussing cars adds to the success of Castle Rock Auto Storage.
“We love the community,” Jay says. “We’ve been here for almost 18 years and raised our kids here and launched them all from here, so it’s definitely our home.”