Many small business owners are turning to self-storage in order to house their company supplies and products. This allows business owners to grow slowly without entering a long-term lease that could either trap their business in a warehouse that is too small or put a financial strain on the business when sales are slow. If you are thinking about using self storage to house your yarn, supplies, and finished products for a handmade knitting or crochet business that you are starting, there are several things that you should keep in mind. 

Control Humidity and Temperature When Necessary

For most types of yarn, temperature is not an issue. However, excessive humidity can cause mold or mildew to grow in natural fibers and, if the temperatures fall below freezing, water in your yarn can freeze, breaking down the integrity of the fibers. If you live in a very humid area or an area with extreme temperatures, you may want to look into a climate controlled storage unit. However, if the humidity is mild, you may save some money by renting a basic storage unit and investing in quality storage boxes for your yarn instead. 

Create Stations for Raw Materials, Finished Projects, and Packaging 

When you are regularly using a storage unit for your business, it is important that you can easily access all of your supplies as soon as you open the door to your unit. If you have one unit, you may want to dedicate one wall to storing raw material, a second to storing finished projects, and a third to storing packing materials to send out your projects to customers. You may also want to create a small packing station  with scissors, tape, and a postage scale on a small workbench so you can quickly find a finished product and package it in the storage unit instead of taking it home to package it. 

If you are renting a larger space, you may want to set up a corner dedicated to photographing your work, with lights and backdrops for quality photographs. However, this will require you to rent a unit with access to electricity. 

Pack Against Moth Damage 

Just like at home, moths can become an issue in storage units. It is important to protect your yarn from them. Consider packing yarn into airtight containers, such as plastic bags or plastic storage bins. You can also keep a satchel of lavender, rosemary, mint, or thyme in each of your yarn bins to help repel moths. 

Create an Inventory System 

Having a large storage space will allow you to buy your favorite types of yarn when they are on sale and create more types of projects. However, it is important that you create an inventory system to make sure you have the required yarn available before you accept a custom order and to help make sure that you do not forget about past purchases that you have not used. Many storage centers offer inventory apps as part of their storage solutions. However, you may want to check out third party apps or apps specific to yarn stashes. Alternatively, you can make your own custom spreadsheet to track your inventory. 

Insure Your Inventory 

Having a large amount of yarn in one place can be a costly investment. Although yarn theft may not be as common as the theft of electronics, you should still get your inventory insured against flood and fire damage. This will protect you against any unfortunate incidents at the storage center. 

Self-storage can be useful for any beginning business. If you are in the craft industry and find your business is outgrowing your craft room, you can consider a storage unit to get some extra space at a low cost. 

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