Moving/storage company in Chicago?

June 27, 2005 10:50 AM

I'm looking for a moving/storage company in the Chicagoland area. I am a student at Northwestern and I need to store my stuff, including a desk, a futon and a dresser, for the summer. I live off-campus and I need a company that is reliable, has good rates, and will pick up my stuff from my apartment. Any suggestions?
posted by AceRock to home & garden (7 comments total)

I don't know of anyplace specific, but you might ask in the forums here.
posted by autojack at 11:09 AM on June 27, 2005

This isn't what you're asking for, but seeing as how I was once an NU student in exactly the same predicament (ten years ago, mind you), I'd suggest going the route I did.

I'm SURE you know people who're staying in Evanston over the summer, and probably in one of those Parliament buildings with the big basements (I lived at one on Church & Clark). Stash your stuff in one of those basements. As long as you're just talking furniture, books, and nothing especially valuable, I'd doubt anyone would snatch it. Also -- when I sublet from someone one summer, they hadn't moved in yet, so I borrowed furniture from a friend who wasn't around. Know anyone who needs the stuff? I'd go the friend route. Or you could just form a club and reserve a room in Norris for the entire summer and put your stuff in there.

More to your question -- there are services where they'll bring a large crate to your front yard, you load it up, then they'll pick it up and store it until you want it back. It can get pricey, though, like around $150-200 a month. Look in the yellow pages. They're well-advertised operations.
posted by incessant at 11:10 AM on June 27, 2005

I highly recommend my buddy at Starving Artists Moving Company 773-342-7332. Ask for Hunter. They're cheap!
posted by crapulent at 11:50 AM on June 27, 2005

Oh, or you can e-mail him at [e-mail]
posted by crapulent at 12:00 PM on June 27, 2005

I've used a local company similar to PODS and was very happy with the experience. I think they have Chicago locations.
posted by FlamingBore at 12:41 PM on June 27, 2005

I did this five months ago in Chicago (and hey, I was a Northwestern student too! But at the grad school downtown) and used Public Storage and found them to be efficient and affordable. If you have a big yard, they will drop off the storage locker at your house and you can pack the materials yourself. I unfortunately couldn't take advantage of that deal, as my yard didn't meet the specifications required (something about the distance away from the sidewalk, the ability to leave a giant locker outside for a couple of days). I think the movers cost me about $200 for two lockers worth of stuff (a little more than a studio apartment's worth of furniture). Good luck!
posted by buddha9090 at 1:58 PM on June 27, 2005

I moved last year and used USA Moving and Storage in Skokie. They provided free boxes and stored my stuff for one month free of charge. Their crew works unbelievably fast; I think the total time for moving us out of a three-bedroom apartment was under four hours.
posted by Sully6 at 11:07 AM on June 28, 2005