The need for self-storage remains strong despite economy woes.
Last week, we featured an update on the steel crisis on the ISS homepage.
In case you haven’t had a chance to read the article, I interviewed several leading builders, developers and steel suppliers about the how the soaring cost of steel has affected the industry. Everyone agreed the volatile market will have an impact on the construction of new self-storage. And although there may be slowdown in construction, the self-storage industry is, overall, doing well. Case in point: I came across this article in Marketplace.
The article, which is actually a clip from public radio, follows a reporter as he visits his own 5-by-5 storage unit. As he wades through boxes of old memories—a Nintendo 64, yearbooks and baseball cards—he questions why he’s hung onto this stuff and paid to house it all. He goes on to interview a few people in the industry to explain the appeal of self-storage—security and availability among the many reasons.
Despite the downturn in the economy and rising raw-material costs, people still need self-storage. But that doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. Now more than ever, your store needs to be at its best, especially when household budgets are tight and price might become a deciding factor. Check out these articles from the ISS archives on how to make your facility stand out from your competitors. Plus, keep an eye out for our July issue, dedicated to facility maintenance and remodeling.
If you have a maintenance tip you’d like to share, simply click on the “Leave a Comment” link below or e-mail me at [email protected].