Gadget guys gain storage and a hangout

"I'm kind of a detail-oriented person," Gary Bennett chuckles. The car collector's latest creation proves it: clean lines, glossy black surfaces and the kind of shiny trim you'd expect from a Corvette lover.

"I set this up the way I like it. I spend a lot of time on these cars," the Ahwatukee Foothills man explains. "I want to be able to show 'em off when I'm done."

But his latest endeavor isn't the '63 coupe he's working on, or the '67 'Vette parked above it. The newest rage for high-end vehicle owners is the slick, shiny, mezzanined package that encloses them both.

Welcome to the tricked-out garage.

MY BRANCH OFFICE
Fancy cars, huge RVs and crusading homeowners associations have fostered a boom industry in garages. Last fall, GarageTown Arizona rolled the doors up on a west Chandler complex, and projects in Scottsdale, Mesa, south Chandler and the West Valley are in the works. Their air-conditioned, security-wired 24-by-48-foot units are sold condo-style, with prices from $115 to $140 per square foot. Once purchased, each unit is its owner's kingdom, ready to be anything from an overflow lot to a mechanic's bay to a showroom away from home.

"The uses are endless, because you own," says Jason Linder. An emergency room doctor and RV enthusiast, Linder bought a unit when his 40-foot ride needed a home. Other buyers at the site include car collectors, people with sand rails or RVs, and people who have converted a unit into a race car equipment shop.

GarageTown's target market is affluent men whose toys exceed their square footage. With 19 facilities in six different states, GarageTown ups the ante on traditional storage units.

"I own the unit," customer Craig Dayton says, "so I can sell it or do whatever I want."

The Chandler industrial real estate agent consolidated five rented storage units and lots when he bought into GarageTown. "I like the security it offers," Dayton says. "I can access it any time I want, 24/7. But the biggest selling point for me is that it's close to my house."

But not too close: Bennett says the extra space helps keep home and hobby separate.

"Your home garage tends to be utilized for a lot of different purposes. You have lawn mowers, gardening equipment, the vehicle you drive every day. You can easily damage a very expensive collector car."

So, if the toys get their own air-conditioned place, don't the men follow?

"Well, obviously, I spend more time tinkering and cleaning at GarageTown," Bennett chuckles. "It's a 'man cave,' absolutely. I don't know any other word for it."

IT'S MORE THAN JUST A STORAGE UNIT - IT'S A HANGOUT
With all the shiny fenders and testosterone, it's only natural that GarageTownies would bond.

"That was part of the original concept," says Stefanie McDaniel, GarageTown Arizona's sales and marketing director.

She says parent company GarageTownUSA was founded by gadget-crazy friends in Idaho who were looking for high-amenity storage and "decided to build a community. Not just a place to store stuff, but also a place to hang out."

Each of the three proposed East Valley GarageTowns will feature a swanky clubhouse. Equipped with high-definition TVs, kichenettes, bars and couches, these watering holes will allow GarageTown's collectors, RVers and gadget guys to form their own heavily accessorized society.

Gary Bennett of Ahwatukee Foothills says it's a logical leap. "Most of the other owners here happen to be car-type people," he says. "Their hobby is to come by, polish and clean. Obviously they'll want to drive their cars and that'll start a conversation or two."

Greg Linder of Chandler agrees that GarageTown seems to summon like minds.

"On a weekend afternoon, you'll always see two or three people showing off their cars," he says. "There's a common spirit among car collectors. They all love their vehicles, and we all discovered this place. It's a gated, secure environment. You can take the kids and hang out."

But to others, like Craig Dayton of Chandler, it's still just a town ... of garages. "I use it for storing cars and things," he says. "I didn't build mine as a man cave to hang out and sit around and drink beer and play cards. My man cave is my home."

To Bennett, it's something in between. "I do spend more time than I expected to here - but I'm not escaping my wife." he insists. "She comes over and we have lunch here. She thinks it's really neat."