Storage startup Omni gets into the "sharing economy"

The details:

• Omni pitches itself as "additional closet space" for items customers want to keep and access, yet don't need on a regular basis — like power tools and camping gear.
• The startup, which operates in most of the Bay Area, takes 50% of the earnings, but it handles everything including dropping off and picking up the rented items, collecting payments, and even providing insurance up to $2,000.
• Items stored by Omni are used 38 days per year on average, so plenty of opportunity to rent them out the rest of the time. It says it currently stores more than 100,000 items.
• 60% of the users requesting items through Omni's free borrowing feature don't have items of their own in storage — something the company says shows the high demand for this type of service.