Our History
Learn How Our Cleveland Area Storage Unit for Cars & Motorcycles Got Its Start
Toy Storage Ohio managing partner and classic car enthusiast Marko Fortounis was tinkering with muscle cars by age ten while his childhood friends were still playing with GI Joe dolls. Marko’s family and friends were self-proclaimed “motorheads” who exposed him to the likes of GTOs, Barracudas, Hemis, Transams and Mustangs. His first chores were changing sparkplugs. Foregoing computer games in favor of hot rod magazines, Marko learned the basics – how to adjust carburetors and increase horsepower.
As time progressed, his appetite increased and his car knowledge deepened. By age 15 the entrepreneurial Marko was already earning money doing maintenance on cars. By age 16 he was restoring cars in the backroom of a chroming plating business, which sparked his interest to become even more knowledgeable. This led to him building motors, retrofitting transmissions, tune-ups, oil changes, brake jobs, etc. He soon realized that he could turn his hobby into a career.
To get to the promised land, Marko furthered his education by enrolling into a two-year automotive program in high school. Upon graduation he was accepted at Advanced Automotive Technologies 2+ 2 program. During this time he was recruited by the Fisher family to be part of their race team.
During and after his school years Marko continued working on cars in his dad’s garage and raced his cars at competitive events including high school nationals, Norwalk and Dragway 42. He also showed cars at custom car shows such as Autorama in which he brought home best-of-show and best-in-class trophies. For fun he was a regular guest on a local college car talk show, hosted by Dr. Dom, in which he took calls and answered technical car questions.
After working on classic cars for 15+ years, Marko concluded there was a greater upside selling cars he restored. Initially he stored cars in his dad’s garage because it was heated and his car insurance covered the cars because they were privately stored. Running out of room and with winter around the corner, against his better judgement he stored his overflow restored cars in public facilities – taking a risk that nothing would happen to them.
Mistake! Condensation in the unheated public facilities caused brake lines, frames, floorboards and electric connectors to rust. Moisture also caused chrome and aluminum pitting on the cars. However, cars stored in his dad’s heated garage were perfect. No damage. It was at this time that Marko had an ah-ha moment: open his own storage unit for cars in Cleveland with heated indoor vehicle storage..
While the idea for Toy Storage Ohio germinated at that time, it wasn’t until 2019 that Marko had the wherewithal to realize his dream. Toy Storage Ohio came to life and hit the ground running, becoming Northeast Ohio’s largest 24/7 state-of-the-art, private storage unit for cars serving Cleveland, with climate control, radiant heat, and state-of-the-art security. The pent-up demand for such a venue exceeded even Marko’s modest expectations. The future is bright, as the company continues to grow at a brisk rate. Stay tuned!
Contact us to learn more about our state-of-the-art storage unit for cars in Cleveland!