HUDSON -- Five friends with abundant passion for the outdoors and a dearth of space in which to keep their outdoor toys saw an opportunity to solve their problem, plus make a little money solving a similar problem for others.

Their solution arrived in the form of Hudson Storage LLC, a 31-unit facility for storing campers, recreational vehicles and other items that prove too bulky for the average garage or driveway.

"We all have campers and motor homes, and keeping them stored in the winter is a challenge for a lot of people, especially with the new housing developments and covenants they have that don't allow them to keep these things out for more than 24 hours," said Kevin Simpson, one of the five who decided to start the new storage operation, at 436 Dale St. in Hudson.

"We wanted to build a facility where we could store all our stuff in one location," he said. "I had my ATV at my parents' house, my golf cart at the golf club, things spread all over."

Simpson said the group figured others were similarly storage-challenged, particularly after the rough spring and summer weather.

"So, our group found some property and said, 'Let's make it convenient for all of us together and add some rental units to help support it and make things available for other people that have the same type of issues," he said.

The group -- Simpson, Mike Cartney, Frank Hawkins, Tom Petersen and Steve Wright -- located property just beyond the agriculture cooperative on U.S. Highway 63, invested between $150,000 and $200,000 and started construction in April.

The building -- it features five 10-by-10 units, six 10-by-30s and 20 10-by-20s -- was finished in early September, and the group started to lease out spots immediately. As of Wednesday, 10 units were taken.

In addition to the 31 enclosed units, there are outdoor spots suitable for full-sized RVs, Simpson said, adding that it's all secure.

"It's all fenced in, and each of the 31 units has its own lock," he said.

"The tenants have their own locks on it. The main building is secured with garage-door openers, and those are all available to customers."

The spring and summer storms and floods, which sent area residents scurrying for storage alternatives, provided a natural impetus for the investors to launch the business, Simpson said.

"I think one of the challenges with all the flooding that happened this spring and summer, there's a lot of people looking for space," he said. "There are some facilities that aren't usable right now due to the damage from the flooding."

For RV storage, the facility has an on-site waste dump station, Simpson said.

There are other such facilities in the Cedar Valley, Simpson acknowledged. But, he added, there was certainly room for one more.

"As I called around last fall trying to store my vehicle and camper, a lot of the places were full and have waiting lists," he said.

Spots are leased by appointment by calling 429-6477.

Contact Jim Offner at

(319) 291-1598 or

jim.offner@wcfcourier.com.