A staple in the Chula Vista community for 30 years, L Street Self Storage is a woman-owned, family-run business serving as the quiet engine of growth and support for community members and local creative entrepreneurs, right here in our own backyard.
Despite the massive facility, L St. Self Storage is a relatively unassuming business located just off the 5 freeway and L St. in west Chula Vista. Their one-stop-shop, full-service shipping and storage services help local small business owners grow with ease, offering solutions for every kind of storage and shipping need.
We had the chance to sit down with Vice President Jacob Berkson to learn more about their long history in Chula Vista, what they offer at their facility, and how they are supporting the growth of local business owners.
Q: L St. Self Storage has been a Chula Vista staple for three decades. Can you tell us a bit about your history?
A: Of Course! L St. Self Storage started about 30 years ago as a family business. I’m the second generation so far and our manager has been with us for over 20 years now, which means she’s seen me grow up. We’re a very family oriented business. Since the very beginning, we’ve strived to truly support our tenants however we can with our services. When I joined the team about two years ago, we brought on a Postal Annex because many of our tenants were saying that they needed shipping or mailing services. We heard their needs and decided to implement a change to help them out even more.
Q: What is it like running a business with your family?
A: We are very lucky because my mom and I work very well together. We have the same kind of mindset and goals about growth. We both want to be a pillar in the community and we ask ourselves regularly, “how do we do that?” At the end of the day, it comes down to the fact that we want to help. When we see our tenants – mom and pop shops and small business owners – we think about what we can do to support them. Maybe it’s helping them transition from shipping out of their garage to shipping from a storage unit, or maybe they need to palletize their shipment, whatever they need help with, that’s what we do.
Q: Beyond the business, how does your family stay rooted in the Chula Vista Community?
A: We try to be involved in the community and give back whenever we can. For example, in recent years we’ve volunteered with the Police Foundation, and Adopt a Family through SBCS. Giving back to our local community is something that means a lot to us, and actually something we want to do more of in the future.
Q: What lessons have you learned as a business owner over the years?
A: The biggest lesson I’ve learned in this business is that everyone is a human being and every single person has a story. Maybe somebody is having a bad day, or maybe they are having a good day. Either way, it’s about treating people the way you want to be treated. That’s how we want to do business. For me and my staff, it’s really about respect and getting to know the human and not just the situation.
Q: What are L St. Storage’s values as a business?
A: We are a mom and pop shop, so we want to help Mom and Pop shops. Our number one value is simply to help however we can. If a situation comes up, we always approach it from a human-centered point of view. We always ask, “What is going on? Can we talk about it? How can we help?”
Q: What is different about L St. Self Storage when it comes to supporting local business owners and entrepreneurs?
A: At L St Self Storage we offer solutions for our business owner tenants from start to finish. It’s common for small business owners, entrepreneurs, or online sellers to need to go to many different places to successfully sell their products and move their business forward. At L. St. Self Storage, they only need to come to us. For anyone starting out or ready to move from their garage into a more streamlined business operation, our team helps them work through all of the logistics and offers space to make sure they can be successful.
Q: What does it mean to be a “one-stop-shop” for growth?
A: Imagine, for example, that we have an Etsy client who needs to receive larger amounts of goods. Typically, they would have to rent a separate space somewhere in order to to receive truckloads of items and materials. They would then break down their pallets–or unload product from them–and take multiple trips to move them wherever their storage space is. In most cases, they then need somewhere to re-package and ship out their products. Rather than having to drive to three separate locations and pay multiple fees for receipt, storage, and shipping, they can do it all here with the help of our team. The time, money, and resources they save by managing everything in one place can then be put back into their business to grow. We offer everything from expert storage for personal and business needs, logistics for shipments and deliveries, pallet receiving and palletizing for outgoing shipments, and mailboxes and business mailing addresses, all in one place.
Q: As you look to the future, what’s on the horizon for L St. Storage?
A: For me and my family, we just want to remain a steady pillar in the community. If anyone has any storage or mailing or shipping questions, we want to help them figure it out. We plan to continue being a steady force in the area and continue supporting local mom and pop shops in whatever ways we can.
“Our number one value is simply to help however we can.” - Jacob Berkson, VP