elf-storage conversions can be complicated, and no one knows that better than Vince and Shana Kirton of Bluebird Self Storage. They recently took on the challenge of a lifetime: turning a blighted building built at the turn of the 20th century into a premium storage facility fit to wear the Bluebird branding.

In 1901, Victoria was going through a period of rapid industrialization, but the city was still dependent on horses for transportation. That year, the Cameron & Calwell Livery Stable opened its doors. Horses were kept on the upper three floors, carried up and down by a freight elevator, while the main floor stored carriages and buggies. Around 1920, the building transitioned to a storage facility, and it is believed to be the oldest of its kind on the continent. But as the years went by, the facility fell into disrepair and became a hotbed of illegal activity.

Why did Vince, vice president of operations for Western Canada, and Shana, director of customer experience, decide to take on such a difficult project? “Honestly, Shana and I asked ourselves that same question at first,” says Vince. However, after some discussions with other members of the Bluebird executive team, this dynamic duo decided it was worth the trouble. “Not only was it a piece of history we were acquiring, but at the time it fulfilled the company’s goal of creating Canada’s first coast-to-coast network of self-storage facilities under a singular brand.”

Adds Shana, “You can’t build new properties in the area due to moratoriums, so this was our chance.”

The Kirtons got to work, side by side, naturally. “I don’t go anywhere without her,” says Vince. “That’s our mandate. We’ve been working together from day one, and 36 years in, that’s not changing. Anyone that hires me, hires her, and vice versa. We just come as a package in storage, and that’s where our success lies.”

The property, located at 826 Johnson Street, in the heart of Victoria’s rapidly growing downtown core, would need to be gutted. “The exterior was about the only thing salvageable,” Vince says. “I was shocked the freight elevator still worked, though it felt like it could break down at any moment.”

Even the staircases were worthless; they were angled so that, back in the building’s stable days, horse urine could run downward toward a drain. “You felt like you were going to fall over when walking up them,” says Shana.

Not only was the renovation going to be extensive, but the building also carried a bad reputation in the neighborhood. The Kirtons knew they were starting at a disadvantage. “The building had a lot of baggage,” says Vince. “There were insect and rodent infestations, and an illegal smoke shop and many drug dealers were operating out of it. The open units also drew squatters and prostitutes.”

Because a lot of the nefarious activity happened at night, the couple knew they’d have to go in after dark to find out exactly who was in there and to collect any keys they might have. This led them to tour the property after midnight armed with nothing but flashlights. “It felt like a haunted house reality show—super creepy,” says Shana.

They pushed open the rickety wooden unit doors one by one as they made their way down the corridors, checking for activity and always wondering what they might find inside. One encounter stands out. “There was a drunk guy passed out in a unit with a bottle in one hand and a cigarette burning in the other,” Vince recalls. “I woke him up and asked if he had keys. When he held them up, I snatched them from his hand.” When the man said, “You can’t do that,” Vince replied, “We own the place, and I just did.”

While they empathized with those squatting inside, Vince says the priorities were clear: put an end to illegal activity and make the building safe. “I don’t have a background in policing or anything like that, but I have a background in people management. You just need to speak with authority and that’ll get people moving.”

Renovation was still a ways off, but the Kirtons wanted to start getting a team in place. However, even prospective staff felt the building’s dark aura. “We once showed a job candidate around and then took them to the freight elevator,” Shana says. “Halfway up, she panicked. As soon as we hit the ground floor again, she walked straight out of the building without saying a word or looking back.”

Once stripped down to its bones, the construction team transformed the 124-year-old structure into a fully modern facility. The original wooden lockers gave way to steel partitions and roll-up doors, while new safety and security systems brought the site up to today’s standards. An industry-leading website was also launched, offering online payments, reservations, and rentals.

Open since May 2025, the property boasts 240 storage units for residential and commercial customers. The surrounding neighborhood has improved as a result of the property renovations. The Kirtons say that many in the community have expressed gratitude to Bluebird for making the area safer and helping connect some of the homeless with shelters. While there’s still the occasional graffiti artist, the site’s live nighttime monitoring is beginning to deter them too. “I spotted someone spraying this week,” says Vince. “We call it in and the police are able to catch them in the act. Rather than arrest one of the guys, they made him stay and wash it off, which was a fitting punishment!”

Jason Koonin, Bluebird Self Storage CEO, wasn’t initially sold on the purchase, but now he feels it was a wonderful addition to the Bluebird portfolio. “I can remember visiting this site for the first time,” he says. “The location was incredible, but the inside of the building was the worst I ever saw. I thought I was going to fall through the floor when walking the halls. The place was dirty, poorly lit, and the unit doors were made of wood. The vision our development team had to transform this site was pretty incredible. I am still shocked by the before-and-after photos.”

With the renovation complete after one and a half years, the next challenge was convincing the public the facility had truly changed. “We’re putting a television in the front window to show before-and-after photos and video,” Vince says. “We’re also attending home shows, engaging the fitness and biking communities, students, and the Victoria Chamber of Commerce.”

Adds Shana, “We’re also considering a daily rental option for people. They pay maybe $40 for the day. This is a big shopping and restaurant district, and people don’t always want to lug their stuff around. Plus, there are dozens of ships coming in and out for the day.”

“Ultimately,” says Vince, “when we get it leased up, this little historical site, despite its modest footprint, is going to be making significant profits, so it was a great buy for us, and I think a big win for the city.”