Storage for Students sends packing materials to its customers, picks up their items on a designated day, stores the items in a climate-controlled facility, and delivers them back to students on move-in day. Courtesy | Storage For Students

Early in his career at Hillsdale, junior Nathan Rastovac saw a need for convenient, affordable summer storage. Now he and a recent graduate have started separate summer storage businesses to help students deal with the updated storage policy.

An August 2024 email informed students the college would no longer allow summer storage in college housing for those living less than eight hours away. Students who live more than eight hours from campus may store up to one TV and one mini-fridge in college housing under the new policy. 

Rastovac’s Storage for Students, along with 2024 graduate James Simpson’s business Dormcrates, seeks to offer storage solutions in light of the new policy. 

Rastovac launched his business last summer, before the school announced the storage changes.

“I have a lot of friends who live more than four hours away, and it’s really a hassle monetarily, stress-wise, and family-wise for them to take time off from work and study to move themselves out or even move themselves in,” Rastovac said, adding that students at larger universities often have a variety of summer storage options while students on smaller campuses do not.

Storage for Students is a full-service summer storage business operating in partnership with the Kehoe Initiative for Entrepreneurial Excellence, which began in 2021 as an initiative dedicated to preparing Hillsdale students for entrepreneurial excellence. 

Storage for Students sends packing materials to its customers, picks up their items on a designated day, stores the items in a climate-controlled facility, and delivers them back to students on move-in day. 

Rastovac said Storage for Students is available to all Hillsdale College students and will serve dorms, Greek houses, and off-campus houses. 

Senior Marina Weber said she has worked with Rastovac since last spring and helped design his logo and website.

“Nathan had great ideas when we first met but needed me to bring his vision to life,” Weber said. “It’s been such a fun process getting to work with him and getting to know him better. Nathan brings such an amazing, always-welcoming energy to any social interaction he’s in, but I can especially see this energy when he is talking about and working on Storage for Students.”

Weber said completing Storage for Students’ website and brand identity early last semester has boosted the reach of Rastovac’s company.

“Nathan truly wants the best for the students on our campus and wants to help fulfill a need that we all struggle with, which is summer storage,” Weber said. “Plus, with his head resident assistant background, he really understands what students go through first hand.”

Rastovac said Storage for Students charges $15 per month for small items including fans, bean bags, and small mini-fridges, $20 for medium items like rugs or large mini-fridges, $25 for large items like armchairs and dressers, and $30 for extra large items including couches, mattresses, and futons. 

There are also various discounted bundle options available for students with hoards of belongings to store away, according to Rastovac.

Rastovac said students should take advantage of a 20% discount available until April 1.

For more information, students should visit the Storage for Students website at storageforstudents.shop. After putting in their orders online, students will receive an email with their designated pick-up day to pack their items, and the Storage for Students crew will take it from there. 

“We want to be as convenient for the customer as possible,” Rastovac said.

Besides Storage for Students, Hillsdale students can also make use of the recently-created storage service, Dormcrates.

James Simpson ’24 said he started Dormcrates in conjunction with a broader movement within the storage industry. Traditionally, storage companies require customers to bring their belongings to a specified location, but more and more storage companies are beginning to add delivery to their services, according to Simpson.

This is Simpson’s first summer with Dormcrates.

“We provide the students with boxes, tape, and packing materials,” Simpson said.

Customers schedule a pick-up time and pack their items. The Dormcrates crew picks up the items, stores them in a secure, climate-controlled facility, and delivers them back to their owners in August, according to Simpson.

“It’s a stress-free option for the students and the families to store their stuff,” Simpson said.

Dormcrates can store a wide assortment of items, from microwaves to futons, Simpson said. The company charges $15 per month for small items, $20 for medium items, $25 for large items, and $30 for extra-large items. 

For further questions on pricing or the Dormcrates process, students should consult the Dormcrates website at dormcrates.com.

“We’re not just for dorms, so if you’re at an off-campus house, we can take care of it,” Simpson said. “If you’re at a Greek house, we can take care of it, and we’ll drop anywhere off in Hillsdale within a mile radius free of charge.”

Simpson said students can take advantage of a 20% discount on all Dormcrates products from now until April 1.

“It’s a great idea, especially for the kids who fly back home instead of driving,” freshman James Joski said. “I think that’s amazing because it’s really hard to get large items back home without a car.”