On Display  
Space Mart self-storage in Newport News, Va., is managed by John R. Wharton, who is active in business networking groups in his community. The facility has a display table loaded with local business cards and flyers. These advertise other businesses storage customers may use, such as landscapers and local movers. Information on community events is also placed on the table.  

Some of these local businesses store with Space Mart, and others have strategic alliances with the facility as networking partners. Realtors, handymen, and painters are a few examples. Wharton says the table is such a popular resource that even past customers who are no longer storing sometimes call to ask him to look up a card on the table for a carpet cleaner, mover, or local handyman.