Expat expands fledgling storage space venture
NEGRIL, Westmoreland — What started 10 months ago as an idea to provide storage space for long-term vacationers and locals has morphed into a business that has surpassed Phillip Duff’s expectations.
In fact, Duff — an expatriate from the US who started Orange Owl Storage in Jamaica’s capital of casual — is now in expansion mode. He began with 150 square feet and his new location is four times that size.
“At the moment, it has been mainly tourists, but I see that changing to becoming more locals in the next year… I just took on a larger building a couple months ago and I just got it up and ready to go,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
It took him a while to get it done, but the new space now is air-conditioned, a feature which Duff believes will improve the level of service his fledgling business provides.
“People are going to leave their stuff for six months… Their biggest problem when they leave it with other people, or maybe at a resort, it becomes old and moulded,” he said in explaining the benefits of Orange Owl Storage’s air-conditioned space.
His start-up is believed to be the second company on the island to offer storage of non-perishable items in a climate-controlled, safe, and secure environment. Duff appeared undaunted by how much it will cost him to power the air-consitioning. He said his electricity bill is manageable.
The new space is located on Negril’s West End. The other facility is on the parish’s Norman Manley Boulevard within the Boardwalk Shopping Village. Duff’s goal is to eventually expand into St James and other parishes such as St Ann.
“There is a need for it all over the island,” he said.
“I had somebody… who called who has a condo here and is getting ready to renovate the condo. They wanted to put all the contents of the condo in storage for a few months while they do construction. So there are a lot of opportunities,” he added.
He noted that while it initially took him some time to find the right location, there had been no major challenges. A member of the Negril Chamber of Commerce, he said in marketing his venture he has benefited from the Negril community’s strong social media presence.
Duff, who currently has a work permit, has fallen in love with Jamaica and is now working on obtaining his citizenship as he wants to live here for the rest of his life. He currently operates two other businesses — Ring & Respect Call Centre, and a pet importation outfit.
