This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Paul Olds, a customer of our CubeSmart store in Rahway, NJ, for sharing his story with us.
Paul Olds uses his CubeSmart unit in Rahway, NJ for storing tools and personal items but also as a workspace for rebuilding car and truck engines. Most of all, he comes to visit with the teammates he’s befriended over his many years here. He has even been known to help out around the store with maintenance tasks from time to time.
“After all this time, the staff, they’re like family to me.”
Paul works for the township handling emergency calls, which can include checking on buildings or downed power lines during storms, or responding to alerts when cars are overturned on the highway.
“The work is different every day, which I like,” he says.
He’s been doing this job for six years, since he retired from Continental Airlines, where he directed planes on the runway and also worked in customer service at Newark Liberty International Airport. Prior to that, he served in the Marine Corps. Service runs in his family, he says—his father was a police officer, his mother was a Naval officer and his son has just completed training to become a highway patrolman in Hawaii.
His parents, who were born in St. Lucia, Barbados, still live in the area and Paul visits them every day—one of the reasons he’s stayed in the area even though he’s traveled widely.
“They’re older now, so I just like to go and check on them. As you get older you just want to be with your family.”
In his free time, Paul also likes to travel, taste wines, jet ski and work on his engines, a skill he picked up from racing as a hobbyist. He finds the trucks and cars at estate sales, flea markets and on internet listings. He estimates he’s rebuilt and resold dozens of engines for people in the region and he often sees the vehicles as he’s driving around town.
“I come here, I tinker around. It’s very satisfying to complete a job. I like to do the work—it keeps me young.”
We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.
