Nice work!
What about hanging them? I was thinking along the lines of two parallel bars about 1" or 1.5" inches apart, near the celilng. That way, you could collapse/telescope the stand into itself (all pieces together) and then hang the stands by the tilter end (cymbal) or basket end (snare). Hi hats could be hung at the "cup" where the bottom cymbal goes.
I haven't tried this, but I think it would work. As long as whatever you are using to support the stands (empty {non-functioning} metal gas or water pipes, or very strong wire cables etc) is sturdy enough.
Anyone try that before? At least the stands would all be in a "line" and wouldn't take up much room. Maybe they could even be stored above something else, like a washer or dryer, assuming the ceiling is high enough.
You could also kill two birds with one stone. I use a metal firewood rack (lined with pipe insulation for padding) to hold my cymbals. I have over 100 on there, and there is room for plenty more, and the sturdy steel frame easily supports the weight of the cymbals (13" and larger fit on the parallel bars). Since it's designed to keep your firewood off the ground, there is about 8" or so of clearance below the rack. I store my extra stands underneath the rack. It works great (the floor is carpeted). As a bonus, if you see a cymbal that you haven't played in a while, there is a stand right there to put it on and have fun! I even put a Vater clamp on drumstick holder on the rack tubing at the top, so I always have sticks close by too!
Just my :2Cents:
V