Growth in the Harmon area and the increase in ordering goods from off-island due to COVID-19 has brought expansion to one Guam business.
GU Mail is adding 100 new mailboxes to its existing inventory of 120. The company took over the mail service at the end of last year and is upgrading the property as well as expanding to meet demand.
Residents who order goods from off-island are not willing to stand in long lines at U.S. postal offices to get them. The service at GU Mail is personal and designed to be worry-free, say Terry Debold, who oversees the facility. “We notify you when your box comes in. We are linked to the U.S. Postal Service.” By popular demand, delivery is curbside; clients simply drive in. “For the time being, there’s a level of safety,” he says.
(From left) Raymond Saturnio, general manager, and Jennifer Sardoma, sales associate, are shown in the GU Mail center in Harmon.
If you have packages to mail out to customers, family or friends, GU mail can help there too — from start to finish. “You don’t have to be a client to shop packing supplies,” he says. You can sit in your car, and we’ll take care of it.”
Meanwhile, GU Self Storage — the other half of the facility and company — continues to be a popular resource in Harmon and adjacent Dededo. Debold says, “The Harmon location was clearly ideal. The Harmon area — traditionally a lot of small businesses — is quietly growing.” However, GU Self Storage has clients from throughout the island he says. “There’s a variety of reasons — the need for self-storage, some businesses couldn’t sustain their locations [during the pandemic].” GU Self Storage rates are month-to-month and prorated, he says. “The flexibility is there.”
GU Self Storage also acts as a business incubator. Businesses can begin with a small storage unit and expand as they grow, particularly if they wholesale items. “A lot of their things they distribute; they take them around to other business locations,” Debold says. Businesses can also store important legal documents and records, without fear of deterioration. “Here it’s climate controlled,” he says. In addition, the company has a comfortable conference room available for tenants.
The largest number of tenants at GU Self Storage are private residents. “Items can range from furniture to family heirlooms, kids’ toys and a variety of household items,” Debold says. The storage facility is also popular as a temporary solution for people who are building or upgrading their houses. “We do see people that are renovating,” he says. People often order new furniture and appliances and don’t want to store the items onsite while construction is taking place. “They need to put it somewhere,” Debold says. Other people store holiday decorations, especially Christmas collections.
The facility will take care of whatever clients want to store to free up space. “We’ve capitalized on it,” he says. Plus, GU Self Storage and GU Mail offer additional advantages and convenience. “If you are thinking about self-storage, you want your items to be secure,” Debold says, adding that coming and going in the rain is not easy or good for transporting goods from a vehicle to a building. “We’re the only storage facility on the island has a coverage storage entrance and exit,” he says. Clients also have a personal code to enter the property and their storage area, with the facility brightly lit, whenever clients to stop by. “People feel very safe, no matter what time of day it is.”
GU Mail and GU Self Storage are open Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. mbj
