Summer storage for students

After last week’s post on dorm furniture for hire, another student-run dorm venture has been brought to our attention. Dorm2Dorm was founded by college students, for college students. According to the company’s co-founder, Matt Nelsen, Dorm2Dorm offers relief during a period of high stress – finals week. The service is simple: students order storage materials online, which are delivered a week before finals. Dorm2Dorm comes back a week later, when finals are out of the way, to pick up packed items and store them for the summer. When the new semester begins, the stored goods are delivered to the student’s (new) dorm room. Costs for a typical amount of storage are around USD 70 per month, including delivery of materials, pick-up, USD 800 insurance, storage and delivery. The company can also arrange shipping and long-term storage for semesters abroad. Dorm2Dorm launched in 2004 at the University of San Diego, and currently serves 11 colleges and universities. Although it isn’t the first to enter the student storage market, it prides itself on running a highly professional and streamlined business. The company has doubled in size every year they’ve been in business, and is actively seeking managers to expand to other universities, while controlling sales, logistics and customer service from a central office. It’s one of those businesses that just works: a simple service satisfying an enduring niche market, that’s ambitiously run like a market-leader right from the start. Contact: Matt Nelsen, mnelsen@dorm2dorm.com