Someone should coin a term for the recovery period you require after a "vacation." Seriously, who comes down off of a holiday rested? You run around for several days sight-seeing, entertaining and what-not, consuming far more food and beverage than normal (on a highly erratic schedule, mind you). This doesn't even cover the psychic havoc often wreaked when you spend time with family. It's plumb exhausting.

 

So I'm back today after five days with my mother and aunt, the world's most hard-core shoppers. Lawdy. I can throw down some shop time, but these ladies put me to shame. Does your penchant for accessorizing intensify as you get older, or what's the deal?

 

We did manage to do things besides shop. On Friday (St. Patrick's Day), we holed up in local pub O'Kelley's for some Guinness and corned beef/cabbage. (Well, all right, so I drank Michelob Ultra and ate chicken fingers, but I'm not Irish!) I expected to see the Storage Solutions boys down there, but no dice. Wonder where they ended up? BTWbelated Paddy's Day wishes to the Irishfolk among you!

 

Saturday involved a foray out to the Arizona Renaissance Festival, one of our favorite annual outings. Such fun. There's nothing like being a pirate for a day (the replica blunderbuss alone makes it worthwhile). I'd post a pic of our group in costume, but we looked so terrifyingI wouldn't want you shaking in your ergonomic swivel chair. Here's another treat instead:

 

A Spanish pirate blunderbuss replica. Photo from one of my favorite ebay vendors, Grendel's Cave.

 

All right, all right. I guess I'm going to have to get back to business eventually, so on to some self-storage topics.

 

LOOK UP!

 

What is it with storage facilities being bombarded from the sky? First, a Goodyear blimp crashes into a facility in Broward County, Fla. (June 2005); then a small jet careens into a storage site near McClellan-Palomar Airport (Carlbad, Calif.) in January; and now a plane collides into a Branson, Mo., facility on Tuesday. Either we've got some all-permeating storage coverage in this nation of ours, or pilots are just getting really good at pegging us out of a crowd.

 

Now, PLEASE don't accuse me of being insensitive. I'm not making light of the fact that people were killed and property damagedthese incidents were horrible tragedies, and my heart goes out to those who were affected. I just don't really believe in coincidences.

 

How is the government affecting you?

 

There's another hot topic on the table right now, which is the proposed construction of self-storage containers on U.S. military bases to accommodate deployed troops (read related article). From our industry's point of view, this could potentially damage existing storage businesses; and the Self Storage Association has been working very hard to buck the trend. SSA President and CEO Mike Scanlon testified last week in front of the Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Military Personnel. You can read his full testimony here. This is a critical issue for storage owners, particularly those in targeted areas. I'd appreciate it if we could get some operators to comment on this topic in the blog. What are your thoughts/concerns?

 

The thing I miss most about living on the East Coast is regular access to ocean front. I crave the beach, the sea, especially as summer approaches. I think of childhood summers, when my family would spend weeks on Cape Ann. We'd stay at a lovely little place called the Chicataubut Inn, which has unfortunately faded into history like an old photograph.

 

I was reminded of this just yesterday as I met with the ISS tradeshow team to discuss marketing for our upcoming expo in Reno-Tahoe. The aim for this year's "fall" self-storage showstrategically moved to the popular vacation month of Julyis to provide a venue for family fun. Vegas is about adult diversion. We thought it made sense to take this next show in a more, uh, wholesome direction.

 

That's not to say there isn't plenty of nightlife and mature recreation in Reno-Tahoe. On the contrary, there's gambling, jet-skiing, boating, wine-tasting, shows ... I had no idea, having never been there myself. I'm thrilled to see there's some cool stuff to investigate. Check out this link, for example. The site even has its own blogand it's up to date. Pretty sweet.

 

Speaking of family, mine just increased by one. Our best friends' cat had kittens on Monday, and I vowed to take one off their hot little handsproviding it was male and all-black. The first born foots the bill (we think), so I'm bracing myself for the inevitable transition period during which my current cat (a surly,11-year-old beast) will have to contend with another feline presence. Here's a picture of the new litter:

 

 

That's our little guy in the middle. He's a mama's boy now, and I don't reckon that's apt to change much when he gets to his new home in about 8 weeks. And here are some pics of my other "little" monster:

 

 

Doesn't she look safe, and loving and sweet? Not so fast...

 

 

Just another testament to the fact that looks can be vastly deceiving.

 

In-keeping with today's family theme, I'll be incommunicado for a couple of days, entertaining my mother and aunt who arrive this evening from Connecticut. In the meantime, can I get some people to COMMENT on this blog? Come on, I know there are at least three people reading this thing. Nobody has anything to say? I know posting public opinion is a bit intimidating, but it's actually kind of enjoyable once you get going. Blog = interaction, folks! Otherwise I'm just some crazy goth chick flaunting pictures of her pet on the web. Oh, so sad. *sniff*

 

Just click the "Post a comment" button below, fill out the form, and hit "submit." That's all there is to it. Need a question to get you going? How about this:

 

I read in the news today that SMARTBOX just opened a new portable-storage franchise in Raleigh, N.C. What's do you think: Is mobile storage a friend or foe to self-storage?

 

Some of you may remember the song "Mediate," released in 1991 by rock group INXS. It was notable for it's assonant simplicity: a string of rhyming words that ultimately wove a philosopho-politcal message. I think of it today as I ready through the deluge of news posts generated by the Public Storage/Shurgard mergerespecially as one word continually leaps off the screen: consolidate.

 

Yes, everyone's curious to see how smoothly this merger will roll out, how it will affect the stock of both entities, and how the combined company will influence the industry as a whole. But I thought this was interesting: An article in Reuters last Tuesday said, "The deal marks another self-storage acquisition as the fragmented industry consolidates to cut costs and improve cash flows," and "The deal comes amid a rapidly consolidating self-storage industry."

 

I'm not disputing there has been a trend toward consolidation over the past few yearsjust look at the transaction history and REIT activity during 2005 alone. But I don't view this industry as "fragemented" simply because it encourages entrepreurship and an independent spirit. Must we be overrun by conglomerates to be successful? Why is a diversity of ownership painted as a weakness rather than a benefit?

 

ISS Expo TV!

 

I've mentioned in a couple of past posts that we managed to take some video in the expo hall during our Vegas Expo a couple of weeks ago. The companies that participatedas well as many of the onlookershave since contacted me, interested to see the footage. In response, we've created a new website feature: ISS Expo TV. Check it out if ya want. And if you're interested in being interviewed at our upcoming expo in Reno, July 19-22, give me a shout at [email protected].

 

Interesting Omission

 

Some of you are members of the national Self Storage Association (as is Inside Self-Storage), which means you receive a copy of the "Monday Morning Memo" each week. It's a decent e-mail newsletter containing association updates as well as some industry news highlights. I generally find it informative; but today I was interested to see what I shall call a "curious omission," and I'm wondering about it.

 

Last week, I gave props to industry legal expert Jeffrey Greenberger, who managed to land himself a nice feature in the Cincinnatti Enquirer (read it here). It was a fantastic plug for self-storage because it actually focused on something positive for a change. But surprisingly, there was no mention of it in today's SSA memo. I find it particularly odd because the article actually promotes the SSA's 2005 Self-Storage Demand Study. Furthermore, Jeff is an SSA member and has supported the organization as a speaker at SSA conferences.

 

I'm just wondering why SSA chose not to include a mention in this week's mailing? Seems like this is the kind of information the association would like to point out to its members?