After more than four months in business, Carefree Covered RV Storage officially celebrated its grand opening Thursday morning with a ribbon-cutting — and the response was astounding. A crowd spilled out of the lodge-style office, snacking on sandwiches and touring the tidy grounds.

Barry Raber, the company’s president, said he was excited not only by the turnout but also by the level of community support. In fact, the most surprising part for him was simply that someone from the city answered the phone.

“It was a surprise. We haven’t had much support from cities and, in some cases, they’ve opposed us, which seems strange,” he said.

That sentiment may seem unexpected, given the property’s clean, secure setup, its on-site staff and its wide range of customer amenities. Those include an RV wash, a free dump station, complimentary ice bags, wholesale propane and a dog park.

Raber said that even before opening, the facility had at least 150 people on the waitlist—nearly one-third of its total capacity.

“We’ve never had a list that big,” he said.

That demand may stem from limited nearby options. While some storage facilities sit just outside city limits, they are uncovered. Covered options are available in Casa Grande, Chandler and Sun Lakes.

Raber and his business partners came from the self-storage industry and pivoted to RV storage after noticing a lack of competition. So far, the move appears to be paying off.

“This is our eighth project … and this has taken us four and a half years to get to this point,” he said, noting that COVID drove up construction costs early in the process. “We spent several months redesigning the project and finding ways to save money, working with the city, but ultimately brought the cost down enough to move forward.”

The company operates five other Carefree locations across the Valley and two more in the Dallas area.

Kelly Anderson, executive director of the Greater Maricopa Business Alliance, said the organization was excited to welcome the business to Maricopa.

“It’s a beautiful facility and as soon as the manager came to Maricopa, he immediately made contact with us and started participating in our events,” she said. “It’s really great when a company encourages their team members to participate locally. It definitely makes them feel like they’re interested in being a part of the community, not just a business that operates here.”

Raber said he’s looking forward to seeing how the business grows.

“I hope it’s the best one. We’re hoping to be the best RV Storage company in America,” he said. “I think we have a chance. We won’t be the biggest, but we will be the best.”