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Throughout our history, humans have always collected things, true to our nature as ‘hunters and gatherers’. As we move through life, we may add new members of family or in-laws and if we are fortunate, we collect friends.
But perhaps more than anything, humans collect ‘stuff’.
There is ‘treasured family memento’ stuff, ‘books we read 20 years ago’ stuff, and ‘what was I thinking?’ stuff, but in the final analysis, it’s all just stuff that we don’t get to take with us at the end of the day – but we are not ready to part with just yet.
This common human condition may explain the rise in popularity of self-storage units as evidenced by the opening of Self Stor Storage’s new 180,000 square foot self-storage facility at 6005 Erin Mills Parkway in Mississauga. With 1200 units of varying sizes the six-floor building is Self Stor’s largest facility yet for this proud Canadian-owned company, founded in 1996.
As industry leaders, Self Stor says many factors have created the boom in self-storage in the GTA, perhaps the biggest being the decreasing size of condominium units. While we aren’t prepared to part with our stuff just yet, it’s difficult, if not impossible to fit it all into a 400 square foot condo.
“The decreasing condo size is the biggest new factor for the popularity of self-storage in our market,” says Matthew Midgley, Self Stor’s Director of Operations and Construction. “People simply do not have the space to keep all their belongings. However, renovation, travel, retirement, and student storage needs have all been on a sharp increase over the past few years.”
Self Stor Storage Mississauga is its first self-storage facility with vehicle access to ground level and the lower level, meaning customers have increased ease of access beyond other storage facilities with extended business hours of 6AM to 11PM, 365 days per year. Self Stor Storage offers monthly terms to all customers with a 10 per cent pre-payment discount to anyone who wishes to stay for one year. They also offer 50 per cent off three months to every customer renting a new storage unit and that discount is available no matter how long the customer needs the unit.
“Self Stor Storage has been planning an expansion of our portfolio for several years,” says Midgley. “We began this effort with large-scale expansions at our current self-storage sites, doubling their square footage within a few years. After these locations had filled up in a matter of months, eclipsing the industry standard in speed, we knew it was time. We set our minds on the heart of Mississauga in Erin Mills and we took everything we had learned from our expansions and created a world-class self-storage experience in Mississauga.”
Affordability, accessibility, cleanliness and security are the key factors customers are looking for in self-storage facilities. At Self Stor Storage Mississauga, personalized access cards ensure that only authorized individuals have access, with high-definition security cameras being integrated with monitoring systems to allow Self Stor a 24-hour real-time view of all on-site actions.
“Our affordable self-storage units are maintained at a level which outclasses our competition,” says Midgley. “This is thanks to our incredibly dedicated employees who ensure every customer is greeted with a smile and a self-storage unit that fits their needs and budget. Our opening day reservations are already showing a huge demand for our product and we are expecting this location to be the most successful facility in our portfolio.”
Self Stor is looking at other projects in the GTA and surrounding region with several projects currently in various stages of planning and development. With its decades of experience and expertise affording it a leadership position in the industry, Self Stor has some sage advice to those looking for a self-storage facility, saying ‘value’ is the number one thing customers are looking for.
“Do as much research as possible and in particular, read the reviews,” advises Midgley. “Reviews are incredibly valuable in determining the quality of a storage facility. Then, book a tour and experience the site. While going on a tour, always ask questions about the storage discounts that are available and which specific storage unit can fit your budget and needs.”
Our ‘stuff’ is not going away anytime soon and self-storage will only continue to rise in popularity. The next generation in clean, secure, accessible and affordable self-storage is now available at Self Stor Storage Mississauga.
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