Thursday, January 22, 2015

The Expanding Use of Self-Storage in the United States

People are always collecting things, and when they run out of space in their home or garage to store their collections, they often turn to self storage. Once the collectibles are safely stowed away in a unit, they don't feel like moving them, because that would involve a lot of time and work. As long as people can afford their storage units, they may leave items there for months or years, not wishing to sell them.

The Golden Age of Self-Storage

Storage companies that were once seen as barely-legitimate business opportunities in the 1960s reached their golden age in the late 20th century, and into the 21st. People buying new homes, getting divorced, and baby boomers helping their parents clean out their basements all added to an increased need for cheap storage.

Some business owners who started with one storage facility ended up purchasing two or three, as more and more Americans found more items that needed to be stored. Some are more upscale, with all-interior rooms and 24 hour surveillance, but all serve a need for people to store things that they don't have room for in their homes.

Americans Accumulate Stuff

Americans have a knack for accumulating things. As disposable income grew up until 2008, we spent a lot of it. Prices for many things dropped. Even as early as the 1990s, Americans had about twice as many possessions each as they had 25 years before.

When families bought new vacuum cleaners, microwave ovens and coffee makers, they stored the old ones, if they still worked. As the buying trend continued, the US headed toward the middle class staring at an over-accumulation of possessions. Garages were filled. Outdoor furniture and sporting goods were stacked into the corners of yards.

The Storage Crisis

The storage crisis had reached what some people called epic proportions. People had so many home goods that they could possibly have almost filled another house. Faced with no more room in basements and garages, more Americans decided to rent storage units.

Families moving, couples divorcing, and children heading off to college all needed - and still need - a place to store the things that they no longer had room for, as they downsized houses or moved into college dorms. Storage companies fill this need.

Cheap self-storage is initially seen as a short-term solution for the logistical problem of too many goods. However, many people, once they start storing items, add to the unit, rather than moving the initial goods out. Renters find storage handy, especially if they move frequently, so that their less-often used possessions don't have to be moved every time. Self-storage is a valuable option for everyone who simply has more goods than they have room.

Christine writes for AccessSelfStorage.com, a self storage company with locations throughout New York and New Jersey. Visit their Cookstown storage location to learn about services.
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