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Lyndee Richmond sat with her 92-year-old father, Ken Hensler, watching enormous machines moving earth and placing cinder blocks at the construction site on Tehachapi Blvd.

Neither one of them could believe that they were watching – after years of anticipation, dreaming and planning, their storage unit project was finally taking shape. It wouldn't be long before customers were filling the new, state-of-the-art units at Mountain Top Storage with valuables.

In 2003, Lyndee and her husband, Scott Richmond, acquired the property on Tehachapi Blvd. with the intention of building a mini storage complex there. Unfortunately, Scott passed away before he could start making progress on their dream. Lyndee didn't know the first thing about building mini storage units, and at first she felt defeated. However, if you know Lyndee, you know that she excels at overcoming obstacles. One day she thought, "Why can't I do it?" In 2018, she started working toward their shared goal in earnest.

Lyndee hired professionals in the community to help her through every step of the process; working with the City of Tehachapi on permits, getting help writing and understanding the legalese, applying for a small business loan, putting a team of highly professional and talented architects, engineers, contractors and agents together, supervising the work and so on. They broke ground in May of 2023 and now Lyndee's vision is coming together in ways she had only dreamed of.

"Tehachapi has been good to us," Lyndee said. "We saw a need in the community, and I'm excited to help fill that need.... The units at Mountain Top Storage will vary in size from 5 feet by 5 feet to 10 feet by 30 feet, and the indoor units will be climate controlled with sprinkler systems installed."

The indoor units are ideal for art collectors, wine connoisseurs, musicians with classical instruments and businesses or organizations that have sensitive or historic documents and antiques. The secure complex is constructed with cinderblock and steel and will have state-of-the art security, making sure everyone's belongings are safe.

The goal from the beginning was to finish on time and on budget, and so far, the project is on track. Lyndee's team has worked hard to build a high quality structure, but remain competitive with affordability. There will even be a truck that customers can use to move their items from their current location to Mountain Top Storage.

Barring any weather-related delays, Mountain Top Storage will celebrate its grand opening in the spring. Bookings will begin a month before opening, so keep your eyes and ears open for this exciting new business in Tehachapi.

Mountain Top Storage was a proud sponsor of the Tehachapi Valentine's Wine Walk.

Clare Scotti is the Executive Director of Greater Tehachapi Chamber of Commerce.