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Organizers Can Turn Garage to
Wonderland
AROUND THE HOUSE
Chicago Sun Times
By: Les Hausner
Another concept from California is encroaching on
the Midwest: professional garage organization. The
idea behind this trend is that same homeowners need help in putting
everything in its place.
The furnishings shown in a brochure from White Rabbit Garage Organizers
are an impressive array of custom-made storage racks, cabinets and shelves.
I called White Rabbit to ask how much it would cost to reorganize my
garage. "I am doing a 2.5-car garage in Lake
Forest for $10,000, but I may be able to do yours
for as little as $1,300, depending upon need, available space, and budget,"
said Sally Schulman.
"The Lake Forest garage
will have custom-made cabinetry, a sophisticated work bench and slat wood peg
boards, which have a more sleek look than ordinary peg board."
Schulman said.
She got into the business about 18 months ago after she and her lawyer
husband decided to do something about their "awful looking"
garage. "We organized it with shelves and cabinets. Our friends said
it looked great and before long 1 got the idea of going into business. I
named the business 'White Rabbit' to' symbolize that the garage can become
a wonderland," Schulman said. She does not charge a consulting fee.
"Almost everyone has things they should throw out or give away. The
first thing we have to know is the percentage of what is stored there is
going to be kept.
"Without this information we cannot make an assessment or help
them." she said.
She has worked on 2- and 3-car garages. "I haven't done a 1-car garage
but that could become an important part of this business. Many people who
live in town houses or condos are squeezing a lot of stuff into 1-car
garages, Schulman said. She also could have mentioned that condo owners do
not have basements or room for a garden storage shed. That could be a
reason why professional garage organizing probably began near San
Francisco and Los Angeles
where there are many residences without basements.
In this part of the nation almost every house has a basement or a crawl
space. If Schulman wants a real challenge, I can introduce her to an
unusual garage. When a neighbor enlarged his house to fashion more room for
his 10 or 11 children, he took most of the space from the garage.
If you roll up the garage door all you will find is a three-foot-deep
space for storing bikes.
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