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03.09.2020

Where things live: the phenomenon of self-storage

Trained by our ancestors, hunting and gathering accompanies us to this day. In 1958, James Patrick Collum was so inspired by garage rental that he quickly founded his own self-storage company.

Completely unknown at the time, at least every North American is familiar with it today. No matter what the reason for a larger and quick space requirement – in a self-storage warehouse your belongings are safely and dryly accommodated.

Collecting is just human nature

While decluttering, tidying up and letting go is celebrated these days as a form of self-liberation, accumulating things that are often practical and even more often quite bulky is just human nature.

As hunter-gatherers, we have fought our way through good times and bad for centuries. Even if we don’t live the way we used to, one thing has remained with us – collecting. A study has shown that each of us owns around 10,000 things on average.

How did self-storage come about?

Like so many other things, the idea of self-storage also spilled over from the United States to Europe. In 1958 the first self-storage company opened in Florida (USA). At that time, the founder James Patrick Collum was inspired by the usual garage rentals and invented self-storage.

But the boom came much later. In the 1990s, the divorce rate increased rapidly and many did not know what to do with their furniture. To this day, America still has the most warehouses in the world when it comes to self-storage.

For a good 20 years, however, self-storage has also been on the rise in major European cities, where storage space is becoming increasingly scarce. In 2018 there were already 3,792 self-storage warehouses across Europe. Of these, around 40% were in Great Britain.

The development

Self-storage inspires people. One reason for this is the change in society. In the past, you rarely got out of your usual environment. And once you have decided on a partner, you stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Today, however, things are a little different. The divorce rate in Europe today is around 50%. Many companies also have locations abroad. In order to train employees and to familiarize them with new areas of responsibility, they are often posted abroad for a certain period of time. Anyone who has not already spent a certain amount of time abroad because of their job has certainly traveled for a longer period of time.

Frequent moves are the result and for the duration of the absence the household effects are stored without further ado.

In addition to professional development, there are of course numerous other reasons why a man or woman suddenly needs a warehouse:

The move – the old apartment has already been terminated, but the new home is not quite ready for occupancy. In order not to be homeless, we usually stay with friends. However, we need a suitable storage space for our furniture.

The shared apartment – When two people have found each other who want to share the rest of their lives with each other, at least one, if not both, has to move. Many then ask themselves the question: “What furniture do we take with us?” and “What furniture do we throw away?” With the miracle weapon self-storage, this problem can be solved quickly and easily without throwing away beloved belongings. This means that furniture that is not in use can be stored comfortably and dry for the time being.

Separation – It doesn’t always go well with the private happiness. Most of the time someone has to leave the shared apartment and look for a new place to stay for themselves and their belongings. In the event of a major discrepancy, it often has to be done quite quickly. Self-storage can also be helpful here.

Your advantage

No matter what the reasons are for a larger or quick space requirement, the advantage is obvious – in a self-storage room your belongings are safely and dryly housed and a self-storage room is available at very short notice.

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