Whenever people hear that a self storage facility will soon be joining their community the news is not always met with the sounds of joy and happiness for the impending arrival of a new neighbor. It seems that there is a stereotype about self storage facilities; that they are not the most pleasant thing to look at.
Those within the industry are quick to point out that any business that is not kept up will be an eyesore on the community. Business owners should take pride in their building and make it look the best. Not only does this make the community happy, but it encourages new business to walk through the doors as well.
With the often undeserved bad press that the industry’s appearance gets, seldom seen positive press needs to be recognized such as the award that the Extra Space Storage facility in Estero, Florida, recently received.
Recently, the Extra Space Self Storage facility in Estero was awarded the David Graham Memorial Award for Excellence in Development. The award is given to completed development projects that help make the community it is located in look better and raise the bar for future developments in the area.
"We are honored to receive the David Graham Award for Excellence in Development," said Gloria Barnett Regenold, Store Manager for Extra Space Storage of Estero. "This award validates the efforts we made to ensure that our facility shared the look and feel of Estero. We are very excited to be a part of the Estero community and offer a safe, convenient, state-of-the-art facility to store goods at reasonable rates and with superior service."
As the industry continues to grow, the aesthetic beauty of a self storage facility is likely going to become a competitive advantage for storage facilities. The trend has already started to take place in Canada.
Some cities, like Montreal, have seen more and more condos built, the need for self storage has risen as well. However, before self storage facilities can get started they have to receive permission from the local urban planning board.
This development has upped the ante for self storage facilities across the country as facilities have to compete with each other now in aesthetic appearance as well. Public Storage Canada has been steadily working with planning commissions to make its facilities as good looking as possible. It paid off back in 2008, when one of their facilities was named International Facility of the Year by an industry trade magazine.
Apparently beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder, but the eye of the self storage unit holder!
Sources Used:
“Extra Space Storage® of Estero Receives Estero Community Development Award.” Marketwire.com; 18 April 2011.
“Industry Growth in Canada Demands More Attractive Self-Storage Facilities.” Inside Self Storage; 26 January 2011.