Local Man Creating Own Space Above Larkspur Storage Biz

Connie Oosterbaan isn't just expanding his storage business, he's moving right in.

Always one to make the most of an opportunity, Oosterbaan saw the former Corbett Hardware property at 1101 Magnolia Avenue sitting empty for years and about to be condemned.

"It was right in the middle, between the storage areas," said Oosterbaan, owner of Self Storage Emporium. "I had the chance to get it, so I went in front of the Larkspur City Council. I couldn't have done it without Pacific Design Group, though."

Then he got another idea.

"I always wanted a Manhattan-style loft," said Oosterbaan, who took part of the upstairs for a loft space and has already moved in.

There have been urban tales across the country of people living in storage spaces, but Oosterbaan needs more room than a 10-foot-by-20-foot locker to stretch out. The longtime Larkspur resident turned to Pacific Design Group to help him create a mixed-use residential/commercial space on Magnolia Avenue.

The loft is an architect's dream, with extra insulation and soundproofing, natural lighting and hardwood flooring. The loft is complete with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living space and windows offering a view of Magnolia Avenue.

There are storage units right outside Oosterbaan's loft, but that doesn't seem to bother him.

"If there's noise, then there's nothing more I could have done about it anyway," he said.

The storage business offers lockers in seven different sizes, as well as refrigerated units, which Oosterbaan says are used by wine lovers.

"Some people live by their vino," he joked. "The vino in some of those lockers is worth more than the real estate they're in."

Pacific Design Group had to bridge the gap between the buildings to create one long unit. The transition is virtually seamless from the inside.

The new space is a testament to the credo "Recycle, Reduce, Reuse." Roughly 28 percent of the insulation, along with the 30-year-old hardwood flooring and other fixtures were recycled or repurposed from the original building, according to Oosterbaan.

What he can't reuse, Oosterban has the workers put in a box in front of the shop, with a sign "Free Wood." The pile has been raided by Redwood High School students, artists, anyone looking for arts and crafts supplies, or material for a skateboard or a ramp, according to Oosterbaan.

"We've saved $1,200 in dump runs thanks to that box," he said.

That's nothing new for him, though. He decorated the front of his shop with discarded bits and pieces that he fixed up and repainted to make dandy lawn ornaments, including a white duck and a wine barrel planter. He's especially proud of the World War II-era planes atop his building.

"They're a little before my time when I flew with the U.S. Marine Air Corps," Oosterbaan said with a smile, gazing up at a model B51.

Oosterbaan plans to set up his model trains in his new loft, along with other collectibles currently on display around his office, including model trains, photos and vintage movie posters.

"I won't ever have to leave home," he joked.

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