By Liz Wolf
Reprinted with permission from "The Storage Facilitator" blog.
Self-storage operators can deck out their facilities in red, white and blue to celebrate the Fourth of July—without breaking the bank. Industry experts say it’s imperative to acknowledge the holiday, but also to have fun with it.
“If you’re going to become the trusted community resource, you need to be decorating for the holidays, and that keeps people looking at you,” says Anne Ballard, president of training, marketing and developmental services at Atlanta-based Universal Storage Group, a third-party management company that oversees 52 facilities in 16 states. “If you don’t ever do anything curbside, they quit looking. So it’s not only important to be patriotic but to get some kind of decorations going for all of the holidays.”
Add a Grand-Old Flag (or Two)
Self-storage operators can start by displaying the American flag, which can be purchased at dollar or party stores, or even online. Small flags can line your facility’s driveway and property, and you can also hand them out to customers. “They’re not expensive, and you can get a big discount if you get a bunch of them at a time,” Ballard says.
Other ideas from Ballard include adding flags made for vehicles to the facility’s golf cart or moving trucks. Or managers can hand out flag-themed bags as a move-in gift to new tenants during the first week of July. She also suggests hanging red, white and blue balloons around the facility and adding America-themed paper or plastic bunting across the front of the storage property.
Marc Goodin, president of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Storage Authority Franchising, gets into the patriotic spirit by adding decorations at his properties. “We do two things to make our sites colorful for the cars passing by: We stick a ton of small U.S. flags along our frontage to wave in the wind, and we hang red, white and blue pennant banners from our sign,” he says.
Go Big
If you’re looking to go bigger in your decorating efforts, consider adding a large inflatable to your property. “One of our area managers had a giant inflatable Uncle Sam on the roof for Fourth of July,” Ballard says.
Websites such as Amazon.com and eBay.com sell everything from inflatable American eagles to the Statue of Liberty. “You don’t have to spend a lot of money, and most of this stuff can be used every Fourth of July as well as for the other patriotic holidays,” Ballard says.
Host an Event
If you’re celebrating July 4 with a gathering, you can pick up decorating kits at most party stores. Some will contain everything you need including plates and cups, utensils, a centerpiece, tablecloth, and streamers. You can also find American-flag folding chairs at many discount retailers.
Another great idea is to tie your celebration to a charity fundraiser or other planned event, Ballard says. “If your community is going to have a parade, you could rent a convertible and deck it out for the Fourth of July, and maybe throw out Dubble Bubble American-flag gum,” she says. “Or maybe you even get a human directional [someone holding up a promotional sign] and dress him up as Uncle Sam and put him out by your entry, where he’s wishing everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July.”
You can also move your celebration online by sponsoring a Facebook contest that seeks patriotic essays from school-age children, Ballard suggests. The winner could receive a Fourth of July “party pack” with prizes, decorations and coupons for food at local eateries.
Make It a Year-Round Celebration
Although many operators only dust off their patriotic decorations for the July 4 holiday, Able Self-Storage in Pearland, Texas, and Crowley Mini Storage in Crowley, Texas, display the American flag every day, says co-owner Cindy Bellomy. That’s because every day at these facilities is “Celebrate America Day,” she says. The properties also go the extra mile on the Fourth of July by adding red, white and blue pictures, signs and flowers.
Although it does take time and effort to decorate for the Fourth of July, “there’s plenty of stuff out there to make it a celebration,” Ballard says.
Liz Wolf is a freelance writer in the Twin Cities area. She is a frequent contributor to “The Storage Facilitator."
