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In the end it came down to a matter of convenience.
"They didn't want the trucks (Ryder rental) in
the plaza (South Park Centre) anymore," explained the Packaging
Store Owner Sharon Wilson, "and we really needed to have
everything on-site. In the end, it's turned out better anyway because
not only do we have the store and trucks together now, but we have
been able to expand other areas of the business as well."
Owner Sharon Wilson of Packaging Store happy at new location.
And so Pinecrest's Packaging Store found a new home
across the highway in east Kendall, right next to the Falls, at 8550
SW 129 Terrace. It's no longer in the Pinecrest, but still close
enough that Wilson didn't expect to lose any customers. But that's not
to say she didn't worry.
"We love the Pinecrest area and we certainly
intended no slight by leaving," said Wilson. "And our
wonderful customers were happy to follow us to our new location. In
fact, we've been here about a year now and business is great. We've
been very lucky in that regard."
The Packaging Store offers a variety of services. They
can pack and ship anything from 1 ounce to 1000 pounds and sell all
the materials you could possibly need to do it yourself. They also
offer Ryder truck service as well as any other supplies you might
require in conjunction with your move.
In terms of specialties, they have developed a
particularly strong reputation for crating artwork and antiques and
have received orders over the Internet from as far away as Panama and
England.
And their new facility has enabled them to offer
several new things as well, such as small-scale moves and short-term
storage.
"We'll only do small moves, like for instance
today we helped someone move a small one room office" Wilson
said. "We'll even come to your house if you need a piece of
furniture moved that is particularly heavy. And thanks to our new
storage facility, we can even hold onto something for a little while
if you'd like."
As for future plans, Wilson sees one in particular
that she believes would be a natural extension on the store's concept.
"Second-hand furniture," she explained,
"is something we've been thinking about. If it were done in
conjunction with the packaging and moving, it would make sense. It
seems like during those processes there is almost always something
left over, so why not handle that aspect as well? I think it would be
a useful, excellent combination."
Wilson, along with her husband Wallace, an actuary,
raised both of their children, Michael and Laurie, in the area and
both were Palmetto graduates. And while Laurie is working for Hewlett
Packard in Silicon Valley, Michael has been a partner in the Packaging
Store from the beginning.
"I used to go to a PakMail down here in the early
eighties and always thought it was a great business but nothing
happened until Michael came back from Valdosta St. University and went
to a franchise show with Wallace where they saw the Packaging
Store," Wilson explained. "They both already knew how much I
liked the concept and since Michael's a service-oriented guy himself,
it just made sense. We opened in 1991 and have been in business ever
since."
For more information about the Packaging Store, please
call 305-235-7447. Hours are from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Monday-Friday and
Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
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