Home, studio, a way to sell abandoned items: the many uses of self-storage

‘I discovered electric one day, and I freaked out.’ Photograph: JG Photography/Alamy

If it seems like those self-storage places – brightly colored row upon row of doors – are popping up everywhere, it’s because they have. Over the last five years, more than 250m sq ft of storage were constructed in the US. That now makes up more than 15% of the country’s real estate inventory, according to the listings site StorageCafe. One in five Americans keeps belongings in these very convenient spaces outside their homes. Stashing stuff is a growth industry.

But while storage may reflect American overconsumption, the boom in these facilities is an indicator of trends in affordable residential and commercial real estate. Even as housing prices rise, new apartments are getting smaller. And commercial office or work space has gotten out of reach for many entrepreneurs.