Mikeal Abramoff believes he’s on the cutting edge of a big Internet story — community marketplaces for short-term accommodation.

Abramoff is the founder of Saint John-based Store It Squirrel, which links people needing storage with those who have space to rent.

The company’s site is live with what he calls “a great beta version” with about 80 listings in New Brunswick and Toronto.

It’s doing well enough that Store It Squirrel is one of five finalists for the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation’s Breakthu Competition. The winner will be announced Wednesday.

Store It Squirrel allows people with extra space to list it for free. It could be a spare room in their home, a farmer’s barn or even a field where recreational vehicles or boats could be stored for the winter. People who need space can look through the listings and pay StoreIt Squirrel to link with the providers.

 “We’re looking to be a site where people can go and find a place within walking distance of their home,” said Abramoff in a phone interview. “We’re starting it in Eastern Canada as a test market and hope to roll it out in larger cities right across North America.”

Abramoff said the model is appealing because there has been a huge rise in demand for short-term storage in the past few years, but Store It Squirrel avoids the capital and operating costs of having a physical facility and simply connects people. That means it is easy to scale up the business.

He also said it is a great mechanism for helping the community because the money in the transaction is kept within the parties’ localities.

And he can point to similar sites to show its potential success.

Airbnb of San Francisco links tourists with people renting out rooms. Since graduating from the Y Combinator accelerator in 2009, it has raised $120 million in venture capital financing. Another California company, DogVacay, which allows pet owners to find people willing to take their pets for short stays, has raised $7 million from venture capital investors.

For his part, Abramoff is looking to raise about $100,000 in the next few months to help with online marketing. Store It Squirrel is his full-time job, and what he needs to do is to get the word out and get more people on the site.

He said media coverage around the competition has helped raise awareness in New Brunswick.

The feedback he gets varies. A lot of people say the idea makes sense, while students love the concept because it helps them find a place to store stuff over the summer.

The main concern potential clients have is security. Abramoff is working on a deal with an insurer so clients can insure things they put in storage.

He also wants to put reviews on the site so clients can rate people who have stored their things.