Self-storage is not really one of those industries you dream of working in from childhood. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of present-day storage professionals have no idea how they ended up here. I certainly don't.

 

I thought I'd end up as an English professor, or a book-publishing mogul, orplease, oh, please!a successful novelist. Sure, "hot-shot magazine editor" was certainly among positions I was more than happy to entertain. But I don't know if this qualifies as "hot shot"; and I think I envisioned a publication with more allure.

 

Sometimes life just takes us down one of those wholly unanticipated and delightfully surprising paths. You take what you can from each experience, and hope you can apply it to more clearly embraceable aims down the line. So here I am with a background and education in English Lit and journalism, and a bizarre, mixed-bag collection of knowledge from the storage industry: real estate, finance, marketing, sales, etc.

 

But because of my roots, I love to encourage others with similar proclivities. Now, I will beg your assistance on behalf of a woman who contacted me via e-mail today.

 

Kelle is working on a "creative, nonfiction" master's thesis in which she would like to expound personal stories of storage customers and operators. Of course, she's looking for more sensational material, such as tales of "collectors of bizarre items or people who have lived in or worked out of storage units." She also mentions stories involving crime, death and auctions. Kelle is approaching an April deadline and has nearly exhausted her current resources, so she would greatly appreciate any suggestions or anecdotes my readers would be willing to share.

 

Now, for the record, I am happy to do what I can to assist, because I remember what it was like writing my master's thesis, how difficult it can sometimes be to scrounge up material and find reputable sources. The writer in me is also sympathetic to her goals. But I have to ask:

 

Kelle, why self-storage? And why focus only on the melodramatic? After all, it's the media that has propagated such lurid news about our industry (maybe that should be the topic of your thesis!). What about stories of charitable acts and deeds committed by storage companies and business owners? What about the compassion and sensitivity demonstrated by storage operators as they assist tenants through their often life-changing events, such as a divorce, move, death in the family, etc.?

 

I was going to ask this via e-mail, but I thought it would be much more interesting to allow readers in on this discussion via the blog. I also thought it might stimulate more responses that could point Kelle in a viable direction for subject matter.

 

So, storage community, what do you say?

 

OK, OK. I know I said I was going to further my commentary on this affiliation business and Tron's blog, etc. But it's Friday, for crying out loud, and I just don't feel like being cantankerous today. (Isnt' that a great word?)

 

The weather is gorgeous in Arizona right now, and all I really want to think about is hopping on the V-Star with my brand-new bat-wing backpack (received as a gift for Valentine's Day), and laughing to myself as the squares oggle. "Is that a chick on a motorcycle? With PVC bat wings? And pigtales? And OMG ... what's that on her arm?! Kids, close your eyes!"

 

Isn't it darling?

 

Heh, heh. There's really nothing sweeter than watching an overprotective mother shooing her child out of your path in the grocery store because she's afraid your blatantly nonconformist attitude might be contagious.

 

OK, I know I said I wasn't going to say anything, but just one thing: Was I complaining? Really? I was complaining? I simply mentioned that the seemingly flawless affiliation agreement contained what I considered to be a potential drawback for associations and gave an example from my personal experience. That's all. I don't believe I was wielding a "negative brush" or attempting to generate downbeat coverage for the sake of attention. Heck, who needs bad press to get attention? Just ask the wrong questions! (Or would those be the right questions?)

 

Anyway, we did our second webinar today, and it was just fantabulous. Thanks to Randy Tipton and Jeff Greenberger for being their usual thoughtful, informative and entertaining selves. I can't wait to see what they come up with at their full-length session on March 3rd.

 

The Vegas show is just around the corner, and excitement is building. Looks like people are getting ready to make some pretty big announcements and unveil a few unique offerings. I'm sitting on two press releases right now that I've been warned not to share until after the event. I just love being in on a good secret!

 

Boy, did I open a can of worms! I made some observations regarding the SSA affiliation program in my inaugral blog the other day. I also mentioned that ISS columnist Tron Jordheim had been made chair of the Affiliated Association Council and that he writes his own self-storage blog. Tron wrote a very thoughtful response to my post, which you might want to check out. More here later, as I can't seem to post a comment to Tron's page.

Ahhh, Thursday. Thursdays feel good, even better than Fridays. Why? Because there's nothing like sitting on the cusp of something really promising. Anticipation is occasionally better than enjoyment itself, because delight can be tinged with the regret of inevitable conclusion. You carpe diemists out there will dispute me. Well, have at it.

 

This is what happens when I drink too much coffee and start reading the news. I call it brain revolt, which leads to haphazard philosophizing.

 

So I came across an article in the Whittier (Calif.) Daily News this week about a town, Pico Rivera, that's opting to keep its moratorium on all new business permits for self-storage. The suspension was about to expire after two years when the City Council voted unanimously to keep it in place. The reason? The town already has seven storage facilities, and its land is "simply too precious to tie up," according to Councilman Ron Beilke. The council feels storage offers no real economic benefit to the city.

 

I'd like to hear from some people who are experiencing similar bans in their areas. Where is storage still being relegated to industrial zones? You'd think with modern advances in style and amenities, including chic offerings like wine storage, business centers and post services, storage wouldn't still be treated as an undesirable.

 

Speaking of undesirable, Reuters says self-storage may fall slightly out of investor favor this year, as stock and real estate prices increase and are potentially overvalued. This same article made note of a proprietary Harris Nesbitt survey that revealed 43 percent of storage providers were offering one month of free rent in the last quarter of last year. Does that sound high to anyone?

 

I'm also curious to know whether people agree with the above article's conclusion, in which U-Store-It's Steve Osgood says it's commercial users that will drive storage demand in the coming years.

 

Well, look at meLittle Miss Inquisitive today.

 

Man. Whew! One down, one to go. We conducted the first-ever Inside Self-Storage webinar this morning: A sampler for one of our upcoming Las Vegas seminars. Yours truly in the moderator seat. Overall, I think it went pretty well. Once I got past the "must keep Pop Tart in stomach" portion of the event, it was smooth sailing. What can I say? I was bubbling over with excitement.

 

Attendance was lower than we anticipated, but it was our first time out of the hatch; and there may have been some minor technical issues. If you were registered for the event and failed to receive a formal e-mail invitation with instructions, please let me know ASAP so we can get that rectified for the next go-round. Thanks to our presenter, Ken Piken, for being such a trooper! We'll see how things go on Friday with event No. 2.

 

You should join us for that, by the way. No, really. Even if you aren't the least bit interested in our Vegas Expo or Jeff and Randy's "Is It Legal?" Q&A, just think how entertained you'll be by imagining me, moderator extraordinaire, at my home office in a pair of baggy sweats and a hair configuration simulating an exotic bird. What else could you possibly have to do on Friday, Feb. 17th, at 1 p.m. ET? (That's not a hint, that's a shamless plug, that is.)

 

Is is a bird? A plant? A blogger?

 

More later on a self-storage moratorium that was unanimously passed by the City Council in Pico Rivera, Calif.

 

I've just returned from a five-day vacation to find the new blog is operationalsweeeeeet. And I'm enjoying the fact that today is also Valentine's Day, which is detested by many as one of the most commercialized holidays of the year. So few people know the true story behind this day. If you're interested, you can check out my editor's letter in the February issue of the mag. As for me, bring on the chocolate and roses, 'cause I'm just fine with that!

 

Truth is I needed a little down time after my recent change in position here at ISS. I'm stoked about all the new online initiatives I'll be launching (for example, this snappy little blog), but relinquishing control of the magazine proper was a wee bit emotional. I mean, that's my baby! But we've all got to cut the apron strings sometime, and the expansion of my self-storage horizon is long overdue.

 

It's a big week. Tomorrow, I'll be moderating the first ISS webinara first for me, a first for the magazine, and (I think) the first to be produced in the self-storage industry altogether. This one is a teaser for our upcoming expo in Las Vegas. Ken Piken of New York-based Piken & Associates is going to give attendees a taste of his impending seminar, "The Self-Storage Lease and Legal Protection," which will take place at Mandalay Bay on March 1. Check out the previewKen not only knows his stuff, he's a trip. As an East Coast girl, I just can't resist that accent!

 

As someone who also suffers from performance anxiety, I'm slightly nervous about this webinar-moderating business. Put me at a keyboard, and I'm fine. Put me on a mic, and my breakfast starts vying for a launch. At least it's not video (I shutter even to think about that).

 

Getting back to this idea of firsts, I have to admit this is not the first self-storage blog. There's one other of which I'm aware, and I'm proud to say it's hosted and written by one of our long-time writers/exhibitors/advertisers, Tron Jordheim, director of PhoneSmart. (By the way, if any of you know of another self-storage blog out there, please let me know. I'd be happy to post it here.)

 

Tron's a very creative guy, and he's been writing for Inside Self-Storage for several years now, contributing a monthly column titled "Speaking of Sales... " as well as the occasional feature story. You should check out his blog, too.

 

I recently discovered Tron has been asked to chair the "Affiliated Association Council" of the national Self Storage Association. In fact, he announced it in PhoneSmart's February newsletter. As chair of AAC, he'll "work with the state and international association leaders on the issues of the day." The newsletter also states, "There are many benefits to being an affiliate and no real downside that we can think of." Well, I can think of one.

 

But first, for those of you who don't know what this is about, let me fill you in: The national SSA has been encouraging the state associations to join its ranks by signing a formal affiliation agreement. (To date, it looks as if 18 states have joined up.) In exchange, they get a package of benefits that includes discounts and bulk pricing on products, services and education. The benefits are just fine, but the states should read the fine printby signing, they agree to forego any profit-sharing opportunities with other organizations.

 

For example, the Florida Self Storage Association recently became a national affiliate. As a result, it sacrificed its ability to host its fall tradeshow in conjunction with ISSsomething the group has done for the past two years and from which it made a nice little profit to pursue its long-range aims. A friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) resigned from the FSSA board out of disagreement with this decision. If this person gives the blessing, perhaps I'll post a portion of the letter he/she wrote, explaining his/her position.

 

In any case, I congratulate Tron on his new post. Though I still believe the affiliates should be aware of what they could be leaving on the table by signing on. More on this later.

 

Now go buy some over-priced candy and give it to somebody you care about. After all, if Hallmark can't inspire you, who can?