Storables is a
specialty retail chain that carries a variety of products aimed at helping consumers organize their homes and work spaces in the
West Coast of the United States
The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the Contiguous United States, contig ...
. Its products are categorized into departments including Audio, Baskets, Bath, Closets, Furniture, Kids, Kitchen, Laundry, Novelty, Office, and Utility. The company's motto is "Make Room for Living."
Storables was founded in 1981 by owner Dodd Fischer, who had an interest in the housewares/lifestyle store concept. At the time, the storage goods business was beginning to emerge as a specialty niche in the housewares business, with plastic storage containers and organizers beginning to appear in department stores.
The first Storables shop was located in
Beaverton, Oregon, outside of
Portland, and by 1985 the company had rapidly grown to five locations in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
Oregon
Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...
, and
Washington state. The stores were comparatively small at that time, averaging about 1,000 square feet.
By 1992, the product range had grown to feature additional options, materials, and colors, which required a larger store format.
In 2005, Storables expanded into both
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...
, and
Edina, Minnesota, after a competitor,
Organized Living, went bankrupt, making the two locations available.
The economic downturn eventually led to the closing of both stores, with the Arizona outlet closing in 2009 and Minnesota in 2011.
[{{cite news , url=http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2010/08/02/daily15.html , title= Whole Foods to Open Edina Store , work=Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal , date=August 6, 2010 , accessdate=Nov 28, 2012] It also closed its California locations in 2014.
After nearly 38 years in operation, it began closing its retail stores as leases expired between January and April 2019.
See also
*
Hold Everything (store), chain that closed in 2006
*
Organized Living, chain that closed in 2005
*
The Container Store
References
External links
Storables.com
American companies established in 1981
Retail companies established in 1981
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009
Privately held companies based in Oregon
1981 establishments in Oregon
Retail companies of the United States