People planning an extended stay downtown tend to sort out the apartment first and the belongings last — usually about a week before the move, when it becomes obvious that a household does not fit in a studio. Whether you are here for a three-month contract, waiting out a renovation, or between two houses, the question is the same: what comes with you, and what happens to everything else?
The good news is that a furnished stay removes most of the problem before you start.
Start with what you do not have to bring
Every studio at Oakland’s on 9th arrives furnished, with a full kitchen. WiFi, heat, all utilities and on-site laundry are included, and there is no contract — you can book a night, a week or a month. We run three tiers: the Good, Better and Best studios.
In practice that means the bulkiest, most expensive things to move are already here. No bed, no sofa, no table, no dishes, no pots and pans, no washer and dryer, no router. If you have ever priced a moving truck, that is most of the truck.
Three piles, not two
The mistake is sorting into “bring” and “store.” Three piles works better:
- Bring. Four to six weeks of clothing, your work equipment, medication and documents, and a small number of things that make a room feel like yours — a lamp you like, photographs, your own pillow. That is genuinely most of it.
- Store. Out-of-season clothing, furniture you intend to use again, sentimental things, and anything expensive enough that replacing it would sting.
- Let go. Everything you have moved twice without unpacking. A stay is a good excuse to finally deal with it.
Our packing guide for an extended stay goes through the bring pile in more detail, and there is a full list of what is already in the studio if you want to check before you box something up.
What storing things through a Minnesota year actually involves
If the stuff is going into a unit rather than a relative’s basement, the local detail that matters is temperature. The Twin Cities swing a long way between a deep winter and a humid summer — the Minnesota DNR publishes the official thirty-year climate normals for the metro if you want to see the range. An unheated unit follows that swing. Wood furniture, instruments, electronics, candles, vinyl and anything with adhesive in it do not enjoy the trip.
Three practical things, learned the hard way by a lot of our guests: measure the furniture before you rent the unit rather than after; check the facility’s access hours, because plenty of them are not twenty-four hours; and label boxes by room and contents rather than by number, since the index card explaining your numbering system is always in box eleven.
Where to send what you are not keeping
Bridging is the obvious first stop in the Twin Cities. It is a nonprofit that furnishes homes for people leaving homelessness and housing instability, and it takes household goods and furniture by free drop-off with no appointment — staff and volunteers help unload. There are three locations: Bloomington, Roseville and Plymouth. Drop-offs are closed on Sundays and major holidays, and there is a fee-based pickup programme if you cannot get things there yourself. Check the current hours and the acceptable-items list before you load the car.
For the things nobody can reuse — old paint, electronics, chemicals, batteries — Hennepin County runs household drop-off facilities for residents. That is where those go, not in the dumpster behind the building.
Living smaller for a while is not the same as living without
A studio in a restored 1889 brownstone is a different proposition from a bare corporate apartment. There is exposed original brick, restored window trim and a grand staircase that was here long before any of us. Free on-site laundry is the quiet one that changes how you pack: if you can wash things whenever you like, four weeks of clothes is plenty, and the second suitcase stays home.
We are at 215 South 9th Street, a block from the skyway — you walk that block, the building is not skyway-connected — and within reach of Target on Nicollet Mall, the Armory, Target Center and Orchestra Hall. Parking details are on our parking page, and there is more about the building on about the Oaklands. Some units are pet friendly.
If family are coming to visit partway through your stay and you would rather not host them in a studio, 300 Clifton is a historic mansion bed and breakfast a couple of miles away in Loring Park.
Book a studio
If you are working out what to do with a household, start by finding out how little of it you actually need. Have a look at the studios, check the FAQ, or book directly. You can also call us on (612) 314-5124 or email info@oaklandson9th.com — we are happy to talk through what a longer stay looks like before you rent a single box.
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