Co-Founding The Auto Den - Chris Pearson

Co-founding The Auto Den has been one of the brightest accomplishments of my career. On a recent trip to Dallas, I had time to reflect on the journey and truly analyze what has made this business so special to me.

The business originally started out of necessity. I’ve always loved real estate opportunities and was initially exploring an HOA ownership concept where I would build a unique garage facility, sell off individual units, keep one or two for myself, and then move on to the next project. The idea was that the project would generate income, give me a great place to store my cars, and allow me to branch into something new.

Through conversation, I was encouraged to discuss the idea with my now-partners, who shared a similar ambition. After our initial two-hour meeting, The Auto Den was born. The concept was simple: keep everything simple, do storage really well, rinse and repeat. Our original slogan was, “We Store Cars.” We found our location in Tampa, and the project was quickly off the ground.

The COVID closures were truly scary. But because we kept things simple and focused on doing storage exceptionally well, we were able to overcome that hurdle and fill our Tampa facility with 150 cars, motorcycles, and Sprinter vans. The setback caused by the closures was real, but after a few years of stabilizing the business, the timing was right to open our second location. We chose Dallas because of its strong car culture, ideal demographics, and because my partners had previously attended SMU.

We opened our Dallas facility in September. Thankfully, there were no COVID-related closures, and the time spent identifying Dallas as our next move proved to be well worth it. Customers have embraced our business model, our team, and our location—and the demand for storage is clear. Being close to Love Field also allows us to accommodate airport parking. After just three months, we’re proud to have 49 happy customers and counting, many of whom store multiple vehicles with us.

My background aligns perfectly with the many facets The Auto Den requires: facility buildout and management, employee leadership, advertising and marketing, and customer service. That’s why I’m so fond of what we do. Customers need our service, they love how we do it, and they frequently compliment our team. That feels really good.

If you’re in Tampa or Dallas, stop by and check us out for yourself.

- Chris Pearson