Navi and Inder Boyal, owners of Wedge Mountain Inn, celebrated the opening of their new self-storage business, Peshastin Storage, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 20.
“For the hotel, my mindset is always on tourists and people traveling usually, but [with] the storage units, I feel like it’s going to be more of our local community, which actually makes me really excited that we’re catering to the community,” said Navi Boyal.
Opening the storage facility fulfills a longtime entrepreneurial dream for the Boyals, who are first—and second-generation Indian immigrants who grew up witnessing their parents’ entrepreneurial pursuits.
“We’ve seen that with hard work and grit, you can accomplish your dream. And that’s what I would say, is like, kind of our entrepreneurial spirit, where it came from…We’ve seen the American dream happen,” said Inder Boyal.
At six years old, Inder Boyal and his family moved from India to the U.S., and he witnessed his parents build a name for themselves in a new country.
“They gambled and came to America, and then just kind of worked themselves up into their own businesses, and so it was also a dream of ours,” said Inder Boyal.
As a kid, Navi Boyal watched her parents take their first chance as business owners by purchasing a hotel. Her parents worked multiple jobs while running the hotel, unsure if they would find success. They did eventually, allowing them to invest in more businesses.
For years, the Boyals worked long hours in tech on the west side, knowing that one day they’d want to become small business owners themselves. When their son was born, they started looking for potential hotels for purchase, and found Wedge Mountain Inn.
“We saw that it had good bones and a good skeleton, and we saw the opportunity to basically take a gamble and throw all of our life savings out here,” said Inder Boyal.
In 2015, the Boyals purchased the inn, remodeling and rebranding it over the last nine years. They put in new carpet, added new furniture, and painted. With their backgrounds in tech and marketing, they also gave the inn an online presence.
“It was like flipping a house but flipping a hotel…Now, people love staying with us…We have a lot of retention. Customers always come again because they know it’s a nice, quiet, clean, comfortable property that’s not in the heart of town, but it’s half the price,” said Inder Boyal.
The Boyals originally planned to live in the area for one to two years as they built the business up, then let it run itself. However, they each got more and more involved with the community as their kids grew up, coaching soccer and volunteering at Peshastin-Dryden. Nine years later, they still call the area home.
“The longer we have been here, the more we just love it. We love the small town. We love the community. Now, every time we go back to the west side, we’re just like, ‘Oh, we can’t wait to go home,’” said Navi Boyal.
Now, the Boyals have embarked on a new entrepreneurial adventure, this time building their storage business from the ground up. The Boyals’ parents, who inspired their pursuits, joined the celebratory ribbon cutting.
“It’s just like another adventure to go on…It’s nerve wracking, and it’s just another gamble we’re taking in our lives. Hopefully, it should work out. But it’s exciting, and I’d say we’re nervous at the same time,” said Inder Boyal.
The storage facility is secured by a coded gate, and is accessible 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The adjacent Wedge Mountain Inn lobby will offer assistance to storage unit customers.
“There’s always going to be someone there on site that can always help you. Either my wife or I will be there during the day, and then our awesome manager, who manages our hotel as well, will be there in the evening. We’re in the hospitality industry, so our customer service, I feel like, is going to be really, really exceptional for customers,” said Inder Boyal.
The storage facility has 102 units, ranging in size from 5 feet by 10 feet to 10 feet by 15 feet, 10 feet by 20 feet, and 10 feet by 25 feet. It is located behind Wedge Mountain Inn at 155 Boyal Lane, Peshastin.
More information can be found at peshastinstorage.com.
