Hidden Treasure

RAEANNE MARSH

>>> Rest Assured, Phoenix, Arizona

Lynn and Peter Blake in the Rest Assured warehouse. Photograph by Scott Sandler.

Hospital booties and white gloves give the impression that what's being handled requires exceptional care. And therein lies Lynn and Peter Blake's philosophy toward clients of their business, Rest Assured, a fine-art and furniture storage, delivery and installation service. "We all want to be treated as high priority," company CFO Lynn Blake observes, explaining how their service reflects that understanding.

Providing support service for projects that range from an individual residential remodel requiring belongings to be moved offsite during the dusty disruption, to wholesale furnishing for new condos or boutique hotels, Rest Assured offers a safe haven for art, furniture and accessories. "When something is being built from the ground up, the interior designer and architect are involved in the project, and they're purchasing product from all over the world," Lynn explains. "There needs to be a place for the furniture, accessories and art to drop." That place is Rest Assured's loading dock.

Once a project's products have arrived and been stored — in crates or vaults if it's for the long term — it falls on proprietary inventory software to keep all the information straight. "We inventory for our clients, and for our clients' clients," says Lynn. If an architect or interior designer has more than one project in progress at any given time, Rest Assured will keep track of each one separately. "We'll help our clients stay as organized as they need to be."

There's no "one size fits all" approach for this family-owned business. Says Lynn, "We customize our clients' services for what they need." Longtime clients will find that their preferences are remembered, whether it's what time of day they prefer delivery or even what crew they've worked with.

The crew is carefully trained by Peter Blake, whom Lynn describes as a perfectionist. "That [perfectionism] was a challenge for him as the business grew, because he couldn't continue to do it all himself, so there is a lot of training." Among other important Rest Assured details is that trucks carry a lot of packing supplies. Says Peter, "For on-the-spot requests, we need to be able to react and get it done."

Employees at the customer-service desk are trained to be equally attentive, even if it's an "I'll find out and get back to you," followed shortly by a straightforward "That's really not a job for us."

Art installation is a job for Rest Assured, which has developed a specialization in that aspect of the delivery end of its service. "When our clients ask us to install art," says Peter, "we know these are unique pieces. We get creative, and we will have special hardware made to blend in with the architecture of the house." He notes that just nailing something to the wall may compromise its integrity as an antique. In fact, Peter adds, just knowing how to move through the house is important when there are a lot of breakable items.

Art has become such a big part of the now-20-year-old Phoenix business, says Lynn, that the 26,000-square-foot storage facility was designed to be both air-conditioned and humidified to stabilize the conditions. The truck interiors are paneled in wood, and some trucks are air-conditioned, which is especially important for items that will spend more time in the truck. (Efficient routing, however, is a key part of Rest Assured's computer software, as much for environmental conservation as for cost considerations, notes Lynn.)

Having owned a similar business for 10 years in Denver before founding Rest Assured in Phoenix in 1988, Peter says he finds enjoyment in seeing beautiful pieces of art and furniture. But the real reward is meeting the challenge of figuring out how to handle special needs — and helping to figure out what those special needs are.

Rest Assured also contributes its expertise to various nonprofit groups in metro Phoenix, receiving, inspecting, storing, delivering and installing larger pieces for such organizations as CASA–Center for Prevention of Abuse and Violence and the Arizona North Chapter of ASID.

Rest Assured, Phoenix, AZ; (602) 437-9201 or www.restassuredinc.com.