Elite Event: Morena Storage

My name should be Johnny and not Maricela or the Cheese, I’m always late to everything. Hopefully I will be late to my funeral too. In this particular case I was having a rough day. It was on this same day 8 years ago one of the greatest people in my life left me. It was on this day that my life changed so much because my dad died.
Now that I’ve bummed you out I want to tell you how truly grateful I am for all I have. I was going to cancel going and just stay in bed. It took all I had to throw a hoodie on and make my way to the event. When I walked up you could smell the tacos, hear the mariachi and I was greeted with beautiful smiles. Why the hell was I going to give this up and stay in bed? What started off a crappy day turned pretty freaking awesome pretty quickly.
We went from eating tacos, ice cream and drinking beer to a scavenger hunt and a bag full of goodness… so much fun! Thank you so much Morena storage for turning a rather painful day into a wonderful memory! Thank you Brad, Sandra and my other Unilocal friends for the hugs, kind words and making sure I left with a smile. You will never know how much this meant to me because words alone can not explain it. My heart was full with a million unicorns and rainbows floating on chocolate clouds.
Thank you Unilocal this cheese is very grateful to be an elite and apologize for the late posting… still trying to drag myself out of my slump. Besos!

What a crazy event! All the unexpected happened! First of all, a storage facility event??? How fun can that be? We’ll leave it up to brad to make it eventful. And he sure did a great job entertaining us!
Scavenger hunt: a great way to get to know he facility. What a clever way to advertise. Their facility is actually really clean and nice. It’s not your ordinary facility. The owners were very nice and sweet. The husband looked like a godfather, he was so G. The employees were all happy to be there and it seem like they loved their jobs.
Food: cook to order tacos. I love whatever the spicy sauce was and the carne asada. Of course they were all good and even had horchata to try. The toppings for the tacos were fresh and plentiful.
The Mexican band: Betsy loved them and had nothing bad to say, I will take her word for it. She listens to that shit on the daily.
Bidding war: we got fake money and before we bid on anything I asked PJ and Theresa to pool our money together. And if they trust me well get the best gift. They trusted me while Mac and Betsy didn’t. Betsy initially did but took her investment back. My number one rule: don’t be greedy. And it’s all in or nothing. We decided to bid on the very first item bc we know ppl will be greedy and bid higher for the «better» items. We were able to get a $ 50 gift card to Buca di Beppo split between 3 girls. As the night went on people started pooling their money and eventually it was split between 10+ people, while we only had 3! And got it for the cheapest price. We felt like real winners and smart about it. We watched the hungry cats while eating ice cream from the Ben and Jerrys ice cream truck.
Parting gift: it was unbelievable that the owners gave us monetary gift for attending. I was shocked! And happy. Like a fat kid eating cake…

This was truly a unique and special event. It was really remarkable to have a non-​restaurant business like Morena Storage throw the ultimate party as an incredibly generous and welcoming initiation to their business. We enjoyed:
1) Complimentary food — freshly prepared carne asada and pork street tacos from the Tacos G_​_​_​_​_​_​_​ (sorry I’ll fill in the business name later) with a full salsa and topping bar, plus fresh lemonade and horchata. We enjoyed these outside at belly bar tables and they had also rented some lovely street lamps to make it like a cozy patio.
2) Free drinks: Mike’s Hard Lemonade had a surprise stand along our scavenger hunt, and we were given wines and beers immediately upon signing in
3) Scavenger Hunt — a thoroughly planned activity that had us weaving all around their massive and well-​kept storage units, bathrooms, halls, and elevators! Morena Storage had an entire staff out at each scavenger hunt spot, and each staff member warmly greeted us and told us helpful info about the business. What an incredible team effort! I was surprised to hear that if you rent a storage unit, they send a helper and a truck for free as part of your rental cost.
4) A full Mariachi band to entertain us! Not necessary given everything else that was already going on, but such a nice touch.
5) A not-​so-​silent auction with Gary the auctioneer for some great prizes hidden in mystery boxes! We used the «funn

If you didn’t RSVP, couldn’t get the night off, cancelled last minute, or bailed early from the storage auction, then I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems, but getting hooked up with fiddy dollas ain’t one.
Surprise! Everyone that finished the scavenger hunt and stayed until the very end got a generous swag bag along with omfg $ 50 cash money. :O Pick your jaw up off the floor. This is one of the most unique Events that I have had the opportunity to be a part of.
I’m sure people were thinking, «Why a storage facility?» We’ve had Events at Broadstone, a luxury apartment community, but there’s a clubhouse with a full kitchen, so catering makes sense, but how does storage space work? It’s creative and definitely thinking outside the cardboard moving box. Bahaha. The bar has been raised once again. Great job, Brad & Sandra!
There are tons of restaurants and bars, and Morena Storage is one of many awesome local businesses around San Diego. Morena Storage has three stories of storage units and a friendly, professional staff to assist. I am seriously considering moving the hoarding pile if my current storage place hits me with a rent increase.
Anyhoo, back to Morena Storage as tonight’s venue.
— Hosted bottled beers & wine. That Sculpin quickly ran out first T_​T
— Mike’s Hard Lemonade. Cold. Hard. Refreshing.
— Delicious tacos with all the fixins plus refrescas & fantastic mariachi from Taquizas Guadarrama
— Ben & Jerry’s tasty ice cream, Spectacular Speculoos™ and The Tonight Dough™ starring Jimmy Fallon
— fun photos and hover drone aerial footage by Chris Brake Photography
How it went down: You check in on the Unilocal app to get some funny money. Get a punch card and some instructions from Morena Storage. Use the maps for a self-​guided tour and find other locations to complete the punch card. Turn in the punch card for more funny money.
Shoutout to Gary T as guest auctioneer while Unilocalers outbid each other for various mystery prizes. We pooled our funny money and managed to win a gift card to Buca di Beppo. Yay team! UYE Happy Hour soon. After the exciting bidding wars concluded, there were closing thank you’s and the best mf’ing $ 50 plot twist surprise of the evening.
Thank you, everybody. Mind blown. Good night and good morning!

This was such a fun event! I never would’ve imagined this much fun could be had at a storage facility. Everyone who worked at Morena Storage was so friendly and welcoming. It was nice to meet the owners and chat with them during the scavenger hunt, they were both so friendly and gracious. The facility is very large and clean. I thought the scavenger hunt was a great way to get everyone familiar with the building.
The taco grill from Taquizas Guadarrama was delicious. I liked the Ben & Jerry’s afterward, that was a nice touch. I can never pass up ice cream. The mariachi band was a surprise, when I drove up and heard them it made it me smile.
The auction was probably one of the funnier moments of the night. Watching everyone pool our money and try to outbid each other for these empty cardboard boxes. On the last auction we ended up giving our money to another group and watching them try to win against the last group with money left. It was very entertaining.
Brad definitely outdid himself planning this event. I loved that even during the scavenger hunt they had another vendor passing out alcohol and punching cards.
A huge thank you to the owners of Morena Storage for their incredible generosity. My son grabbed the swag bag as soon as I got home and claimed it, good thing he didn’t see the envelope with the cash, haha.

Omgosh, this event was INSANE!!!
I feel so incredibly lucky to have been a part of the few to experience the first Unilocal Storage Party! Driving here, we really didn’t know what to expect. I mean, it’s a storage facility! As we were walking in, we were greeted by the aroma of street tacos and the sounds of a live Mariachi Band! It was just the beginning!
We checked in at the lobby and learned that we were in the middle of a scavenger hunt! Sick! We met the owners at the first check point, and gosh. They were the sweetest people on earth. As we were making our way around the facility, every single employee we ran into was so kind to us. Hands down, I wouldn’t think twice about recommending this place to our friends and family. I mean, if they keep their bathrooms THAT clean and pristine, I would trust them with my valuables!
Oh, did I mention there was a Mike’s Hard Lemonade and a Ben & Jerry’s stand there? I know! On top of the yummy tacos and a sweet beer selection! The auction at the end was so much fun. Thank you, Brad & Sandra for all that you do! We appreciate all the hard work you guys put in to these events! I really can’t express how grateful I am to be a part of the elite crew! It’s always fun get together with other people who have the same passion: promoting our favorite local eateries and merchants!
Thank you, Morena Storage for your generosity! It was too much! The swag, the monetary gifts, and most of all for opening up your arms and business up to us! This was truly an unforgettable night!

This was a different event!
A bunch of guys standing around drinking beer in a warehouse. Eating pretzels. Boring…
I don’t think so! Wowsers! Tonight’s YEE at Morena Storage was absolutely nothing like that. Now, our beloved CM Mr. Brad B. is known to put on some of the best events in all of Unilocaldom, but this one was a home run right out of Petco Park!
I knew something special was in the works when I arrived early to watch a Tesla filled with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream being set up for us. That’s right, a TESLA filled with ice cream. Amazing — I’ve never seen anything like that!
The line formed quickly and after check-​in, we all headed for freshly-​made Mexican street tacos courtesy of Taquizas Guadarrama. Carnitas, pollo asado, or carne — all were wonderful and we ate until we were stuffed!
Then a quick stop at B&J’s for a generous scoop of two of their delightful new flavors. Outstanding.
Brad stocked the bar with wines and a mix of nice microbrews. Good job, Bradster!
The real fun began with a well-​orchestrated scavenger hunt where we earned funny money to use at a live auction! The budding was intense, but I ended up (with a little help from my friends Diane and Steve) winning a very cool blue Unilocal beach bag. Others won movie tickets, gift certificates from Buca de Beppo, and tickets to the Concourse de Elegance in La Jolla. And I do so live my new beach bag. Very cool!
To top things off, Morena Storage gave each Unilocal Elite a cool gift bag, a T-​shirt, and $ 50 in CASH. That’s right — a cool fifty. Sweet!
Thanks to Brad and Sandra, George and Cathy Hunt, and the entire staff of Morena Storage. Who knew that an evening at storage wars could be so much fun!

Really? Who says you can not have fun at a storage facility? Morena Storage says, that’s who!
From scrumptious eats provided by Taquizas Guadarrama with their street tacos, quesadillas, rice, and beans, and salsa bar, not to mention Ben and Jerry’s fabulous ice creams, Hard Mike’s Lemonades, the Moreno Storage Elite Event was more than just Event, but a Scavenger Hunt as well. The hunt was very well designed, and designed for the huntees to get to know the facility and what it has to offer.
The event provided entertainment offered by a local Mariachi Band and by Gary’s unique auctioneering abilities. Did I mention there was an auction? Yes, there was, and for each location you scavenged, you earned $ 100 dollars of fake money to be used at the auction for a variety of items, including tickets for local events, $ 50 food cards to Buca di Beppo, etc., but it did not end there, because the generous owners of Morena Storage, gave every Elite attendee $ 50 in cash at the end of the evening. Who does that? Morena Storage with their 1,700 storage rooms, premier customer service, a free truck for helping move your belongings since 1989.
It’s great to see a local business doing so well and providing such a great service to the local community. Thank you Morena Storage and staff for such a great unique event and for your generosity. Well done Brad for putting this one together. Quite the surprise…
San Diego Unilocal is where it’s at…