Manhattan Mini Storage, which operates 17 self-storage facilities throughout New York City, is hosting its first annual Holiday Art Fair on Dec. 19. The event, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature work from about 20 artists who rent a storage unit at the company’s 260 Spring St. facility. The art will be on display and available for purchase to the public.

Several painters, sculptors and craftsmen rent units at Manhattan Mini Storage facilities to house their art tools and supplies. Some have also created de facto studio and gallery space to make and store their creations.

"We've known for years that we've got some incredible artwork tucked away in these storage rooms," said Jenna Chrisman, chief branding officer for Manhattan Mini parent company Edison Properties. "We wanted to give our artist-customers the opportunity to show off their amazing talent to the general public, while at the same time giving New Yorkers a chance to support local artists when they're shopping for their holiday gifts. It's really a win-win and a no-brainer, especially in SoHo, which is an art world Mecca."

"The convenience provided to me by Manhattan Mini Storage has always been a function of its location in SoHo, minutes away from where I set up," said Eugene Ortiz, a painter who’ll be among the artists selling his wares at the fair. "Now that I have the opportunity to showcase my art here, location again comes into play, because SoHo has a long history as a prestigious art center."

The Spring Street location will also offer special storage pricing to new renters during the event.

Founded in 1978, Manhattan Mini Storage is part of the Edison Properties network of businesses. Edison also operates Edison ParkFast, a network of 40 garages and lots throughout Baltimore, New York City and Northeast New Jersey. Its other properties include workspace offices, executive offices and pre-built suites, The Hippodrome office building, and The Ludlow, a luxury residential high-rise on the Lower East Side.

The Inside Self-Storage (ISS) Store, an e-commerce website providing research and education products for industry professionals, has released an all-new “Self-Storage Maintenance Package 2016: Monthly Task Calendars and Guide.” Designed for facility managers, the package includes detailed, customizable monthly calendars for 2016, which outline tasks by day, week and season. It also includes a 41-page digital booklet with expert advice on industry-related maintenance.

“Regular maintenance plays a key role in protecting self-storage property value and ensuring a facility’s appeal to current and prospective renters. Poorly conditioned facilities can also increase safety hazards and exposure to liability risks,” said Tony Jones, manager of the ISS Store. “This package is designed to help facility managers stay on top of the many maintenance tasks that must be performed throughout the year.”

The monthly task calendars are color-coded for weekly, monthly, quarterly, seasonal and annual tasks. Each page also includes a list of daily maintenance tasks. Some months include callout reminders and tips for things like vacant-unit inspection and door cleaning. Contents are available through a downloadable zip file, which includes 12 individual calendars in PDF and Microsoft Word formats. The customizable Word templates allow managers to alter the calendars to fit their particular maintenance schedule and needs.

The “Self-Storage Maintenance Guide” e-book, in PDF format, contains 15 articles on topics related to facility maintenance. Topics include advice on increasing curb appeal, door cleaning and maintenance, general tips and tricks, outsourcing, pest control, roof care and maintenance, maintaining security and access-control equipment, upkeep for wrought-iron fences, and winter maintenance.

The package is $99 and available for purchase at insideselfstoragestore.com.

Conceived as a central hub that allows self-storage owners, operators, developers and investors to obtain cutting-edge information and resources, the ISS Store is owned and operated by ISS, a dynamic services provider that has served the self-storage industry for nearly 25 years. The brand includes ISS magazine, the ISS Expo and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

GrowSpace Storage, a self-storage startup business designed specifically to help people grow, harvest and store marijuana, has launched in Denver. The 24,000-square-foot facility at 4985 Colorado Blvd. is equipped with proprietary, climate-controlled units called GrowPods that enable renters to cultivate cannabis, herbs, produce and other plants indoors, according to the source.

Chief operating officer Richard Lamb spent $900,000 on the facility, which he believes can be replicated in other cities and states where growing marijuana is legal, the source reported. “Indoor urban farming is a growing trend, and GrowSpace Storage offers access to a safe, local community of urban farmers,” Lamb said in a company press release. “Our facilities provide a solution [for] customers who might not be able to grow at home, such as those confined by space or rental policies, or simply want to remove greenhouse-based growing risks from their home environments. The introduction of legal cannabis to the discussion has created significant energy around the urban-cultivation market.”

Grow units are available in 8- or 16-square-foot sizes and come equipped with controls for airflow, fertigation, humidity, temperature and watering. LED lighting is also used to aid cultivation while maintaining a low heat footprint, the release stated. “The conditions for each stage of crop development can be controlled onsite or remotely from anywhere in the world” by using a Web application, company officials said.

The GrowPods design combined with the lighting systems “virtually eliminate the fire risks associated with growing,” the release stated. Last week, a grow unit housing medical marijuana at a self-storage facility in Michigan blew up, injuring a man and damaging several buildings. The local sheriff’s office believes the blast was related to propane, which may have been used to heat the unit. The case is under investigation.

Lamb is hopeful he’ll be able to expand the GrowSpace business model into other markets as a “safe alternative” for recreational growers. “We understand that each city has slightly different concerns to address, and our team works with the local officials in order to ensure the solutions we offer meet or exceed [their] needs and expectations,” he said. “For instance, one city we spoke with recently, had a focus on the disposal of harvested product, which was simply being dropped into trash cans and rolled out onto the streets for trash pickup. Our model addresses those less-obvious but highly valid concerns as well.”

In addition to fire, Lamb said home-growing can create health risks and other issues. “The problems are mostly introduced by creating a greenhouse inside a house,” he said. “The hazards include obvious challenges, such as fires or increased crime potential, to much less apparent long-term health problems like asthma and respiratory illness. GrowSpace offers a turnkey solution in an environment that is designed to remove the risks associated with indoor cultivation.”

The GrowSpace launch hasn’t been without controversy. Three weeks after opening, city officials passed an ordinance limiting GrowSpace and similar facilities to growing no more than 36 marijuana plants, the source reported. The facility has had to adjust by limiting cultivation to herbs, produce and other plants while city officials continue to work on marijuana-cultivation policies.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS), which has provided industry publications, tradeshows, education and information resources for going on 25 years, is getting ready to publish the “Silver Anniversary” edition of ISS magazine. The February 2016 issue will contain written memories from dozens of the brand’s authors, community members, presenters, readers and vendors, who will share some of their favorite experiences with ISS via publications, live events, the Self-Storage Talk (SST) online community and other outlets.

The personal anecdotes reveal how ISS has impacted the lives of individual professionals and the industry as a whole over the past quarter-century, contributing to careers and trends. The issue will also include letters from ISS founders and staff as well as a scrapbook of images taken over the years at ISS Expos.

The print edition of this special anniversary issue will be mailed to subscribers in mid-January. The digital version will be made available around the same time.

For nearly 25 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual ISS Expo, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and SST, the industry’s largest online community.

 

Last week the Hendersonville, Tenn., Planning Commission recommended a change to the city’s zoning that could pave the way for the conversion of a former Walmart to self-storage. SSI Hazel Path LLC, which owns the Hazel Path Commons shopping center at 393 E. Main St. where the Walmart resides, requested that “interior self-storage” be added to the list of uses allowed at the property. The company acquired the 162,942-square-foot retail center in 2013 for $3.5 million, according to one source. Built in 1989, it sits on 10 acres.

The company has agreed to make improvements to the 95,000-square-foot building if it’s able to lease or sell it to a self-storage developer, according to the source. The upgrades would include a new entry composed of brick, stone, and an exterior insulation and finishing system. SSI would also remove the chain-link fence, metal canopy and overhead doors facing Main Street.

The zoning request comes after Sears Appliance Outlet, a major anchor for the center, announced it’s unlikely to renew its lease, according to Fred Rogers, the city’s planning director. Grocery retailer Food Lion is also a tenant.

Planning members have already removed some previously approved uses for the shopping center. Businesses to be excluded now include a brewery tap room and retail outlet, funeral home, indoor firing range, residential medical-rehabilitation facility, and taxidermy business. Allowed uses include a banquet hall, call center, research-development facility, re-upholstery/custom-home textiles business, and social club or lodge.

Because the storage business has low parking requirements, the development plan also includes the construction of two new outparcels in front of the facility, Rogers said. A third outparcel has already been approved for the corner of Bonita Parkway and Main Street. It could include a bank as well as a small restaurant or retailer.

The zoning request will be considered by the city’s general committee on Dec. 8, and by the Hendersonville Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Jan. 12.

By Debbie Lamb

For many self-storage operators, vehicle storage is an excellent source of revenue. However, unlike some ancillary offerings, such as packing supplies or climate control, this service requires its own marketing program. After all, if your potential clients have no idea you offer boat and RV storage, how will you fill units?

The most important aspect of any marketing program is to know your target customer. Before you start a new campaign, you need to uncover what your customers want, then offer more than they actually need to get and keep their attention.

For example, boat/RV-storage customers are more influenced by amenities, convenience and heightened security than are traditional storage customers. Most will also store longer: an average of 24 months. These renters will often travel farther than the 5-mile market radius of a traditional storage customer. Some will choose facilities up to 15 miles from their home, or even a property that’s close to a highway or recreational area. Plus, boat/RV storage is still in demand in most markets.

Reaching these potential customers requires a different approach. One reason is you’re attempting to attract a smaller demographic. Also, the type of storage you offer will make a difference. A facility that only has outdoor vehicle parking with minimal security will promote its services differently than one that has indoor parking with robust amenities.

Regardless of the level of storage you offer, your marketing program should include a mix of online and offline components. Let’s take a look at a few strategies you can use to bring new customers to your boat/RV-storage offering.

Online Marketing

Now more than ever, a good online-marketing program is vital to draw new people to your storage facility. This includes everything from developing a great website to promoting your services via social media. Here are some things to consider:

Promote boat and RV storage on your website. It’s critical to have a quality, functioning website that promotes your self-storage facility and the amenities you offer, especially considering that more and more people are searching for storage via their smartphones than on a desktop computer. You might have a completely mobile site similar to your regular website or a responsive website that adjusts to the size of the user’s device without affecting the legibility and quality of the content.

Next, create separate landing pages that detail your facility’s boat- and RV-storage options. Use the URL for these pages on your offline promotions and fliers. Add a call to action, perhaps in the form of a button that links to the facility’s reservations page, call center or chat service.

You can also make your website a destination and reference point for boat and RV owners by creating a section specifically for them. This could include content on topics such as how to store vehicles during the winter, or how to prepare them to go back into the water or on the road in summer. You might add a “tips” section, which can include traveling information for RV owners or boating-safety advice. You can also create an online directory of partner businesses so renters have references for other boat or RV services in the area, such as mechanics and retail stores that sell related products.

Use search engine optimization (SEO). Make sure you’re using the latest SEO tactics on your website, such as content creation, keyword search and schema markup. Research the types of keywords boat and RV owners use and add them to the content of your Web pages. Also use SEO “behind-the-scenes” components such as alternate text for photos, and meta descriptions and tags on all of your pages.

Create linking with your offline partners. If you have relationships with other boat and RV businesses in the area, ask them to list you as a partner on their websites, with a link to your website. In return, you can add their name and link to your “partner companies” page.

Purchase pay-per-click campaigns on Google. You can even buy ones that are specifically geared toward boat and RV owners. Make sure the copy of each ad is specific to your amenities and services.

Talk about your RV or boat storage on social media. Take pictures of your boat/RV-storage areas and add them to your social media pages. Post great content, information and images to draw customers. You can also use Facebook- and Twitter-promoted posts to entice potential customers to your boat/RV-storage landing pages.

Offline Marketing

Offline tactics for boat/RV storage aren’t going to include traditional print ads and billboards. While these do work for some storage owners, it’s time to think outside the box with targeted programs, such as direct-mail campaigns, exhibits at boat and RV tradeshows, and others that are more demographic-specific.

The key to a great marketing program is to advertise to your audience. Get to know your renters and understand their needs. A good way to do this is to hold gatherings at your facility, or sponsor or exhibit at special events, such as a local boat show, which your target customers will attend.

Another excellent offline tactic is to build partnerships with other boat and RV businesses, such as boat docks, camp grounds, car clubs and dealerships, marinas, or vehicle-repair shops. Ask if they’ll distribute information about your facility and amenities to their customers. To encourage referrals, you can reward your new partners with a cash incentive or gift card for every customer they send your way. You can also set up a discount program for customers who purchase from these businesses. This will encourage referrals on both sides of the relationship.

In all your offline marketing, remember to promote the amenities that cater to your audience. If you have outside vehicle-parking spaces, then it’s important to talk about security features such as lighting, gated access and video surveillance. If your facility has indoor storage with electrical hookups, focus your marketing efforts around these features. In addition, your property might offer other extras for these renters, such as free ice, public restrooms with showers, or vehicle-wash bays. Include these perks in all of your marketing messages.

A good marketing program will be a mix of online, offline and word-of-mouth advertising. Not every tactic will work well for every facility. Work with an agency that can help you boost your online marketing, website design and behind-the-scene organic or paid components. Be diligent in learning more about your potential customer base and reaching out to other businesses in your community with which you can partner. Test different components, and then expound on what works for your individual site.

Debbie Lamb is a content-marketing specialist at Linkmedia 360, a full-service, digital-marketing company that provides marketing and lead-generation solutions to self-storage operators. For more information, call 877.843.1091, visit www.linkmedia360.com.

By Tron Jordheim and ISS Staff

Mobile technology is prevalent today and being used to enhance everyday tasks. This has a direct impact on many businesses, including self-storage. On one hand, many common functions of mobile devices can be used to help operate a storage business. On the other, online traffic is dominated by smartphones and tablets, which means your customers are clamoring for features that enable them to do business with you from any device.

The smartphone has become extremely powerful and a constant companion in a short period of time. Several years ago, I put up a sign during an industry tradeshow that read, “You have a kiosk in your pocket.” It included a QR (quick-response) code people could scan with a code reader. Once scanned, the code allowed them to view a quick demonstration of the possibilities of mobile technology. Smartphones were still on the rise then, and I saw a lot of wide eyes as attendees took part in my little demo.

As it turns out, I underestimated the power of smartphones. The fact is, you have way more than a kiosk in your pocket … It’s really more like a remote control for your entire life. I used to travel with a laptop to keep up with work; then I switched to a tablet. Now I rarely bring anything but my smartphone when I’m on the road because it’s all I need. I have apps for all my travel. I can see all my e-mail. I have easy access to every social network. I get all my news, music and weather right there in the palm of my hand. I can use the Internet, maps, instant messaging and more.

Start Mobilizing

Now the trick is to integrate the ease and control provided by mobile devices into your self-storage operation. Your customers are totally immersed in this technology and expect you to evolve with it. Just look at the trends: Google says nearly three-quarters of Internet traffic is from mobile phones, and I bet your company’s online stats show the traffic to your website is fairly close to that, too.

The question is, what are you doing about it? Do you have a mobile-friendly website? It’s now essential to have an adaptive and responsive website so any smartphone screen will display your content well. Is your website optimized to please search-engine algorithms? If not, you’re likely to tumble down the search ranking, banished to page five (or worse) on any relevant queries.

Going forward, it’s important to design a customer experience in which connecting with your business via mobile is quick, easy and intuitive. At a minimum, it should be simple for customers to pay their bill, rent a unit and get support. People are now so accustomed to transacting personal business on their handheld devices that you’re missing many opportunities to serve customers well if you haven’t made your website mobile-friendly and capable of processing all the transactions a customer can do with you in person or over the phone.

Unfortunately, as mobile technology has become more prevalent, self-storage marketing has become more complex. Many facility operators are “do it yourself” kind of people, but creating a mobile website yourself isn’t an option.

To correctly design a mobile site and tie together all of your transaction capabilities, you need help from your management-software partner. You’ll also need help from a Web-design firm to ensure the user experience and backend architecture are correctly built and optimized. There are many technical aspects to be considered, and if they’re done sloppily or incomplete, your website will fall out of favor with the search engines and customers will find it awkward to use. Neither is a recipe for success in this new world.

The Mobile Advantage

Some self-storage operators are running very nice businesses without a good mobile website, but please don’t confuse a good market with good marketing. In the United States, we’re living in the absolute best time for self-storage right now. Demand is strong in most areas. Occupancy is good, and revenue looks great. But with all of that comes increased competition.

One way to differentiate yourself is through mobile-friendliness. Aside from being able to access your website and conduct transactions, how else can tenants use their mobile devices to engage with your facility? For example, can they view video feeds from the security cameras on your property? Can they use their smartphone to open your gate? Some access-control suppliers offer mobile apps that allow these functions. Depending on your market, you may be able to charge a small fee for these conveniences or simply provide them as a free perks.

Some security companies have developed mobile apps that will notify the facility operator or tenant if a particular unit is opened. This type of mobile function can strengthen your marketing message, enhance your overall security program and provide tenants with peace of mind. It’s another interesting example that speaks to the power of connectivity and the need people have to receive alerts or access information at a moment’s notice.

Similarly, some management-software programs include a built-in module that enables operators to send customized text alerts to tenants, including reminders on past-due rent. Research suggests customers respond to texts more quickly than e-mail, so this can help you keep delinquencies to a minimum.

Consumers are becoming increasingly conditioned to use a smartphone as their life’s “remote control.” As self-storage competition heats up and supply starts to outpace demand, the winning operators will be those who embrace mobile, deploying a great strategy and website. I urge you to contact your suppliers, including your website-service partner and management-software provider, to review your mobile options. Build a better mobile experience for your customers, and you won’t be sorry.

Tron Jordheim is business development manager for Store Here Self Storage, which operates 29 facilities totaling more than 2 million square feet. He has consulted for many self-storage companies and spoken at industry events in Canada, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Prior to joining Store Here, he spent 15 years as director of the PhoneSmart call center and chief marketing officer of StorageMart. For more information, visit www.storehere.com.

Self-storage operator U-Stor-It is nearing completion on a 21-story facility in Chicago, which the company says will be the tallest self-storage building in the city and one of the tallest nationwide. The property at 615 S. Wabash Ave. will comprise more than 1,000 units and include climate control and wine storage, according to a company press release. The company is currently redeveloping a parking garage that neighbors a Travelodge Hotel. The facility is expected to open on Jan. 31, 2016.

The project is in the South Loop area of the city, near the corner of East Harrison Street and Wabash Avenue. It’s also near the Museum of Contemporary Photography and Congress Plaza. It’ll serve several neighborhoods including Burnham Place, Central Station, Chinatown, Dearborn Park, Goldcoast, Little Italy, Magnificent Mile, Near South Side, New East Side, Prairie District, Printer’s Row, University Village and West Loop Gate, according to the company website.

U-Stor-It is also in preliminary talks with a muralist for a planned art project for the building’s western façade. The mural would be an addition to the Columbia College Wabash Arts Corridor (WAC). Founded in 2013, WAC is a cultural arts initiative featuring eight educational institutions, 19 galleries, five hotels, 14 performance spaces and more than 40 restaurants. The project is designed to connect businesses with education and cultural programming, the release stated.

The South Loop facility will be the company’s sixth self-storage location in Illinois. U-Stor-It currently operates two facilities in Chicago and single locations in Carol Stream, Lisle and Streamwood. In conjunction with U-Stor-It Managers, the operator has developed and managed more than 50 properties in the Chicagoland and Southern California markets.

Prime Group Holdings, a New York-based real estate group that owns self-storage and other commercial and residential property, has acquired Riverline Self Storage in Cinnaminson, N.J., for $5.4 million. The facility at 1714 Bannard St. comprises 63,539 square feet in 381 units as well as a management office and retail and warehouse space, according to a press release by HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP), which represented the seller in the transaction.

The facility was built on 4.5 acres and consists of two, two-story buildings. Climate-controlled units are housed in both buildings and comprise 36,586 rentable square feet. The remaining 26,953 square feet is dedicated to the management office, a retail area and rentable warehouse space, the release stated.

Cinnaminson is on the Delaware River, about 12 miles from downtown Philadelphia. The self-storage facility is in the northern part of town near the Tacony-Palmyra and Betsy Ross bridges. It also serves the nearby communities of Delran, Palmyra and Riverton, N.J.

“The property is well-located and has strong in-place occupancy,” said Richard Schontz, managing director at HFF, who represented the seller along with director Barbara Guffey. “The purchaser will also have the ability to expand Riverline Self Storage’s net rentable square footage immediately, creating additional value. The property fits well into Prime Group’s growing Philadelphia-area portfolio, and we were pleased to be able to facilitate the transaction.”

Prime Group has purchased nearly 50 self-storage assets since May 2014 comprising more than 2.8 million rentable square feet. In September, the company announced it was seeking $100 million through a private-equity fund, which it intended to use to acquire additional self-storage assets. It also had plans for a larger private-equity round at the conclusion of the $100 million round, according to CEO Robert Moser.

HFF and its affiliate, HFF Securities LP, are owned by HFF Inc. The firm operates out of 22 offices nationwide and specializes in advisory services, commercial-loan servicing, debt and equity placement, and investment and loan sales.

Headquartered in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Prime Group owns approximately $2.8 billion of commercial real estate in connection with its affiliate companies, which include Morgan Management. Its portfolio includes approximately 3.9 million square feet of self-storage in 13 states, 25,000 apartment units and other real estate holdings.

Update 12/4/15 – Apple Self Storage raised $10,510 during its November charity drive to benefit The ABLE Network. The Allen Family, which owns the storage business as well as Apple Suites, presented the check to Doug Sooley, a member of the ABLE Network. Sooley is also an employee of Apple Suites, which provides flexible office space and a business center.

Apple Self Storage will continue its fund-raising efforts to support ABLE, according to the company’s website.

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10/28/15 – Apple Self Storage, which operates 26 locations in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario, Canada, is raising money for The ABLE (Access to Better Living and Employment) Network, a community-based program that provides work and recreation opportunities for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Through Nov. 30, the self-storage company will donate $10 from each new rental at all of its facilities to ABLE. The goal is to raise $10,000, according to the operator’s website.

The ABLE Network is a fee-for-service, registered charity in Aurora, Ontario. Its participants are supported in five core programs of literacy, recreation, transit training, volunteer activities and work experience.

Apple Self Storage was founded 35 years ago by three brothers. The family-owned business offer standard and premium storage units, mailbox rental, package acceptance, hold-key service, and packing and moving supplies.