Self Storage - A Growing Business

Self storage is big business. The Self Storage Association (SSA) represents the $22.6 billion (annual revenues) self storage industry in the United States that comprises 51,223 primary facilities with more than 2.2 billion rentable square feet. And it's not just the USA - the SSA represents members in Canada and 18 other nations around the globe. Rentable square footage of U.S. self storage facilities has increased by 741% from 1984 through 2005.

The SSA web site tells us that DECLUTTERFY™ is an SSA trademarked word identifying the need to put your home, your office and your life into a reasonable order. There are certainly many times where self storage is an appropriate solution to storage issues - for businesses, for people in periods of transition, etc. But I've also seen households put their overflowing possessions into self-storage when the better answer would be to simply get rid of stuff, not put it into storage.

For a fun story on self storage, read Tom Vanderbilt's article in Slate Magazine.

And I was glad to read that at least one self storage facility (North Bay Storage in Petaluma, California) has installed solar power.