No matter how far Dean and Julie Eakin travel, nothing compares to sipping wine and watching the sunset below the Keys horizon. After retiring from construction and interior design, they have spent much of the past few years on the road, in the air, and on the sea, but home is still the most beautiful place of all.

Dean and Julie married 15 years ago, immediately joining their offices and expertise. They worked together out of a cute little building on a property in Islamorada until they decided to hang up their tool belt and design board. Though they were enjoying retirement to its fullest, a part of them missed contributing to the Keys community as they had for decades before. They didn’t intend to reopen their businesses but realized another way they could meet a need in the community through their old office property. “Our cute little office building had run its course, and we wanted to do something positive for the neighborhood by improving the property,” Dean explains. After putting their heads together and considering the needs of the community, they determined a self-storage facility would be the perfect solution, and, given their experience, they were the perfect couple to make it happen. To best serve their customers, they knew it should be climate-controlled, humidity-controlled, have top-notch generator backup, security, and fire protection systems, and be able to withstand a hurricane, earning it the name CAT 5 Self Storage. “We built the storage facility to meet our personal standards, basing decisions on what we would want from a facility that is meant not only to store but protect belongings,” Julie explains. “We were building this for our neighbors, after all, and want the best for them.”

CAT 5 Self Storage started as one storage building, which quickly proved that locals indeed needed a quality storage solution. The Eakins realized that a second building was in order, which they completed in September. This new building, however, includes a special storage option that is catching the attention of wine connoisseurs and restaurants alike. “During our recent travels, we’d often stop into storage facilities to see if we could learn something new. We discovered wine vaults and were very eager to introduce them to the Keys.” Wine vaults are storage lockers and units of various sizes designed specifically for storing wine, and they are nothing like the standard storage units people are accustomed to. Wine has a way of adding elegance to everything it touches, and these wine vaults are no different. They even have private access and an onsite tasting table. “When people see our wine vaults, their eyes widen and they say it was not what they were expecting… in a good way,” Dean chuckles. “Whether they’re renting for personal use or commercial use, they’re always impressed.”

The state-of-the-art wine vaults aren’t just for wine, however. Customers can also safely and properly store other forms of alcohol, cigars, and more. The Eakins have a locker of their own, where they store wine and bourbon from their travels. In fact, it has made their recent travels even more enjoyable as they discover new bottles to add to their collection. Dean and Julie have really appreciated the response from the community. CAT 5 Self Storage has been another way for them to connect, in addition to Julie’s position as President of Chi Sigma Sorority and their involvement with Island Community Church.