Move Like a Celebrity

Most people going through the moving process would welcome a little star treatment. Instead of dealing with the stress of moving day -- from organizing to packing to looking after your kids and pets -- wouldn’t you rather sit back and relax while all of your moving needs are taken care of? One full-service moving company strives to make this possible. 

“We noticed that there was a huge void in the moving industry,” says Laura McHolm, co-founder of NorthStar Moving Corporation in Los Angeles. “Service is important in any business, but the moving industry seemed to have forgotten that.” 

Since its founding in 1994, the company has garnered eight “Honor Roll” awards from the Better Business Bureau and a long list of recommendations from high-profile clients such as Angelina Jolie, Diana Ross and Chuck Norris. 

The company is no stranger to unique and high-maintenance moves. For A-list celebrities, the movers often have to deal with hounding paparazzi and some rather unusual demands. 

“One celebrity called in the middle of the night to have a chair moved from the living room to the dining room, so we sent someone out to do it,” McHolm says. 

Clients also entrust the company with the relocation of one-of-a-kind objects, such rock 'n' roll memorabilia from Dick Clark Productions and puppet control systems from the Jim Henson Creature Shop. 

“No amount of insurance will replace that,” McHolm says. 

But this kind of luxurious service isn’t just for celebrities. Within the last year, NorthStar has teamed up with several Los Angeles vendors to create six star-studded moving packages that address the additional components of a move: 

• The Martha -- This package is for movers who need help staging their old homes, settling into their new homes, or both. NorthStar joined forces with Moving Mountains Design to offer interior design services to their clients. It’s a good thing.
• The Steve-tini -- For the not-so-tech-savvy movers out there, NorthStar sends experts from Home Tech to make sure all of your electronics are connected and working properly in your new home.
• The Britney -- Pop stars aren’t the only ones who need order in their lives. Operation Organization, an organizational company based out of Los Angeles, can come in at any stage of your move to sort out and pare down your possessions.
• The Angelina -- For families with kids, NorthStar collaborated with Nurture & Nanny to provide child care on moving day and beyond. “We babysit for the day and help them find a nanny and settle in,” McHolm says.
• The Paris -- The Loved Dog, a cage-free dog daycare and boarding facility in California, offers its services for this package. Your canine companions can spend moving day playing fetch in a 6,000 square foot open area.
• The A.L. Webber -- Complementing the Paris package, NorthStar’s newest package cares for your cats at the California Cat Center, a stress-free, dog-free environment. “They literally have suites for your cats with flat-screen TVs and live bird watching,” McHolm says.

Despite the famous names, you don’t have to be a celebrity to enjoy this luxurious treatment. For instance, two recent clients -- an elderly couple and a janitorial supply company -- used the Britney package to get organized before their moves. 

“The packages are accessible to anyone, but in today’s economic climate, people are picking and choosing which ones they use,” McHolm says. 

The company treats every move as a totally unique operation, so rates can range anywhere from a modest $200 for a straight-forward, local move to a hefty $70,000 for a complex, high-security move. Information on price estimates can be found at NorthStar Moving Company. 

Luxury moving services are cropping up at other moving companies as well, such as Xpress Movers and Flat Rate Elite. Both companies specialize in moving valuable items, such as art, antiques, wine collections and pianos. 

When considering luxury moving packages, it all comes down to your budget. If you’re strapped for cash, you may have to handle your own decorating and dog care. But if you’ve got extra money to spend, a luxury package could be worth it for a stress-free move.