east valley
Volume 2 Issue 07 Mesa, AZ
September 1, 2019
New business will store big toys for hobbyists TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
C
IN THE BIZ
handler residents needing extra space to store their cars, boats or motorcycles will soon have the option of buying units at the new Toy Barn location. Projecting to open next year, the 80,000-square-foot facility will consist of 66 units than can house the expensive toys of any hobby enthusiast. And this is not a simple storage shed, according to Toy Barn co-founder Jason Phillips. He described the units as luxurious, high-end pieces of real estate. “There’s a lot more to it than just a warehouse box,” he said. Chandler is the latest spot in the Valley where Phillips and his father, Paul, have built one of their “barns” over the last decade. They started in north Scottsdale in the midst of the Great Recession, so it predictably took a while for units to sell. By 2012, Phillips said the Scottsdale units had sold out and the company began scouting for new locations. They established two more barns around Cave Creek and are now expanding to the southeast with its newest property near the Chandler Municipal Airport. Units will start to sell for $185,000 and will range in size between 1,000 and 3,000 square feet. “We can accommodate more (space) if somebody actually needed it,” Phillips said. About 25 percent of Chandler’s units have already been sold and Phillips exPublic Notices ............... page 2 © Copyright, 2019 East Valley Tribune
Toy Barn co-founder Jason Phillips plans a groundbreaking for his new Chandler location in October and said it will take about a year to build it. Once it is finishing, the barn will offer a spacious place for storing boats, cars and other big toys. (Special to the Tribune)
pects them to be all gone by the time the facility opens. Toy Barn’s main clientele consists mostly of retired snowbirds looking to spend time in Arizona during the winter months. There are downsizing trends in the real estate market, Phillips noted, where residents are choosing to sell their socalled “McMansions.” “I think they’re just tired of the expense and the maintenance that goes with them but they don’t necessarily want to abandon all of their (possessions),” Phillips added. Baby boomers had been buying these lavish, spacious homes before the housing market crashed ten years ago. But according to the Wall Street Journal, McMansions around Scottsdale were currently selling at an all-time high. This trend seems to have bene�ited Toy (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282
(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor
Barn as residents look to �ind space for their assets. The Chandler market was a dynamic addition to the company’s portfolio, Phillips said, because of its booming population and prime location for serving various demographics. And there’s a communal aspect to the Toy Barn properties. Parties and events are can be scheduled at a members-only clubhouse, where owners can congregate and mingle with one another. “The communities are really starting to function more like a country club for like-minded individuals,” Phillips said. Toy Barn will be breaking ground at the Chandler site in October and it will take developers about a year to build the facility. The company’s considering opening additional locations in California. Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year. Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.
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