Organizers Can Turn Garage to Wonderland

Chicago Sun Times
By: Les Hausner

Another concept from California is encroaching on the Midwest: professional garage organization. The idea behind this trend is that some homeowners need help in putting everything in its place.

The furnishings shown in a brochure from White Rabbit Garage Organizers are an impressive array of custom-made storage racks, cabinets and shelves.

I called White Rabbit to ask how much it would cost to reorganize my garage. “I am doing a 2.5-car garage in Lake Forest for $10,000, but I may be able to do yours for as little as $1,300, depending upon need, available space, and budget,” said Sally Schulman.

“The Lake Forest garage will have custom-made cabinetry, a sophisticated work bench and slat wood peg boards, which have a more sleek look than ordinary peg board.” Schulman said.

She got into the business about 18 months ago after she and her lawyer husband decided to do something about their “awful looking” garage. “We organized it with shelves and cabinets. Our friends said it looked great and before long 1 got the idea of going into business. I named the business ‘White Rabbit’ to’ symbolize that the garage can become a wonderland,” Schulman said. She does not charge a consulting fee. “Almost everyone has things they should throw out or give away. The first thing we have to know is the percentage of what is stored there is going to be kept.

“Without this information we cannot make an assessment or help them.” she said.

She has worked on 2- and 3-car garages. “I haven’t done a 1-car garage but that could become an important part of this business. Many people who live in town houses or condos are squeezing a lot of stuff into 1-car garages, Schulman said. She also could have mentioned that condo owners do not have basements or room for a garden storage shed. That could be a reason why professional garage organizing probably began near San Francisco and Los Angeles where there are many residences without basements.

In this part of the nation almost every house has a basement or a crawl space. If Schulman wants a real challenge, I can introduce her to an unusual garage. When a neighbor enlarged his house to fashion more room for his 10 or 11 children, he took most of the space from the garage.

If you roll up the garage door all you will find is a three-foot-deep space for storing bikes.

Experience the Magic of White Rabbit