» self storage history

Guest blogger: Abby Bramski

It is a common fact that as long as there are possessions in this world, there will be a desire to store them. The concept of self storage may seem like a modern concept, but it goes over 6,000 years to ancient Xian China. The ancient Chinese used clay pots of various sizes to store their belongings, and stored them in public underground storage pits which all had access to. The tradition continued throughout history. The first storage business was created in the 1850s, when moving and storage pioneers devised the first warehouse specifically designed for household goods and treasured personal items. This was the beginning of an industry waiting to boom.

The first official self storage facility as we know it was in Odessa, Texas and was called “ A1 U-Store-It, U-Lock-It, U-Carry the Key” . Although this was almost 100 years ago, the basic concept has stayed the same. Then other states caught on; two moving companies, Minneapolis Van Lines and Weimer Storage in Elizabeth, New Jersey, began offering personal storage during the 1920s. Storage facilities became interconnected when Arthur Trachte, of Trachte Building Systems, built interconnected metal garages for what he called “ cars without homes” in 1928. Commercial storage facilities became extremely common in the 1960s.

Demand for storage units increased dramatically in the 1990s, and companies began to pick up the pace. During 2000-2005, over 3,000 new facilities were built each year. Now, there is more than 2.35 billion square feet of self storage in the U.S. alone. This is equivalent to three times Manhattan Island under a roof! Storage facilities are about 32% urban, 52% suburban and 16% rural, so everyone can find units near them. There are many varieties of modern storage units—climate controlled, secure storage, and any size from a small locker to an entire garage. In the United States, 1 in every 10 households rents a storage unit, and that number is on an upward trend. Although modern storage units are not exactly underground clay pots, the concept is the same: I need someplace to put my stuff!

Tweet This Post