Closets and Home Organization - ideas for under the stair closet?

I have an under the stair closet in my son's room that I would like to make more useful. It's one of only 3 closets in our house, so I need to use as much of the space as possible. I would like somewhere to hang clothes, and store toys, and still be able to access the back of the closet. Has anyone dealt with this problem? Any ideas on what I could do for shelving/racks/ect?

Hmmm...
Under the stair closets can vary greatly
Do you have room to walk in or just reach in?
Do you have to duck to walk in or reach in?
How big is the actual "footprint" and then how much is cut off by the stairs?
Some are more like pantries, and some you can step into
Which do you have?

As it is right now, I can walk in. There is about 4 feet or so until you have to duck under the stairs, but it is usable space all the way until the end. It's about 8 inches wider than the width of the door. I think if I put shelves on one side, I would still be able to walk past them (turned sideways), but I'm not sure that I'd be able to get out the rubbermaid containers that would be in the very back.

Shelves on the sides of a 40-odd inch wide closet could be a problem
You might get away with high shelves and hooks
Closet shelves usually need to be 10-12 inches wide to be of any use
Really 12"
I'd consider putting a tall organizing unit in the back
You would be cutting off the "ducking" space, but it possibly could be used for once a year stuff storage

There is a good online visualizer that you plug in your measurements and choose some pices to "see" how they fit
It takes a little bit to figure it out but it can be helpful
http://www.closetmaid.com/Design/Visual_Storage_Planner/index.cfm?CMP=BAC-06