If your garage and attic overflow with items too precious to give up, check out 49er Mini Storage in Placerville. The gate facility offers units as small as 5 feet by 5 feet, as large as 10 feet by 30 feet and many in between.

Manager Pat Peter oversees the facility’s approximately 438 units on about 4-and-a-half acres of property. She lives on-site, taking care of property’s the maintenance and landscaping.

“We work extra hard here,” said Peter, who also has help from a longtime friend. “I have people tell me they feel really comfortable here and I have a lot of referrals.”

Comfort and safety are Peter’s primary goals. She requires that customers carry insurance and offers senior/veteran discounts. A customer who walked into the office during the interview commended Peter for her kindness and professionalism.

Meeting people over the last four-and-a-half years has been a highlight for Peter.

“The business gives me the opportunity to enjoy other people (and) get to know them,” she said. “I really like it up here.”

Peter looks after her customers — offering popsicles and water when the temperature rises (the facility closes when it’s too hot to be on the pavement or in a unit) and ensuring everyone’s safety. 49er Mini Storage is a place for safe storage, not parties or inappropriate behavior, Peter stressed. The approach has paid off; Peter has many longtime customers and few units to rent.

She also lends a hand to community members in need — offering the property to those displaced by fires and networking with other storage facilities in the area to meet the needs of perspective tenants.

49er Mini Storage has served its customers for about 60 years. Summer gate hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. Office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday (closed 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. for lunch) and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

527 Truck St.,

Placerville

(530) 626-3362

placervilleministorage.com