The History of Self Storage in Texas

So long as people have stuff, they need a place to put it. This has been true since before written language. It was discovered that over six millennia ago, the Chinese had a system for storing their personal belongings, where select individuals would be tasked with the job of keeping watch over the items for peace of mind of everyone else. The items were most commonly stored underground, where the facility was monitored to ensure that people can only access their own belongings. The British too had systems in place for storing valuables during extended vacations or leaves. Banking companies would gain responsibility over the property, providing safe and secure storage. Many other systems arose providing a long term storage solution to consumers. All of these systems involve individuals moving your stuff to their facility and safeguarding it.

Self storage options did not really begin to show up until the 1960s, where the first self storage facility was built in Odessa Texas, know as the “A-1 U-Store-It U-Lock-It U-Carry the Key.” One of the founders, a gentleman named Russ Williams, worked on the creation of the facilities, having been inspired over his own personal need to store boats and oil field equipment. His need to store boats was not only his own, as many people were looking for new and cost effective boat storage options. He and many others needed to have quick access to the stored goods, basing his design on the pattern of side by side garages he observed for an apartment complex. Vehicle storage, as well as other kinds of storage, became part of the design, and not soon after does the design arrive at what is familiar today. The first facility was in an industrial area and was 100 feet by 30 feet in size. The facility had asphalt drives and was built with block walls, block partitions and panel garage doors. The units were sized at 30 feet by 10 feet, in part to provide space in order to accommodate 24-foot bass boat trailers.

Self storage was the greatest invention for storage companies all over the world for a number of different reasons. The main problem for companies that store your goods for you, should anything happen to your goods once they leave your possession, the storage company becomes liable. This not only includes theft and loss, but also any sort of damage as a result of fire, flooding or whatever else. The biggest reason people utilize storage is the security and safety of the goods being stored. Someone along the line must be responsible over the well being of the stored goods.

In the present, self storage options have shifted the bulk of the liability onto the consumer. If there is a fault or flaw on the part of the storage facility, then they will be liable should theft or damage occur. The other big change with self storage is that the proprietor of the facility is not granted access to the goods being stored. Security over the stored goods in each of the storage lockers is then maintained by two different systems, one of which is a physical lock provided by the consumer, and the other of which is the presence of security cameras and required gate codes for the facility to keep non-members out. More complicated systems can be employed, such as card readers and thumb print scanners. Should the consumer fail to make a payment then the facilities owner can place a lien on their property, holding it to sell in order to recoup costs. This is the only real case where the facilities owner can access the property stored.

There are many cases where self storage is only a part of the service provided. Your local gym, postal office, bank and many other places will possess a small area spot for piece inspection, as well as an area to store goods while the consumer is off doing other things. The bank provides the best security for the consumer, while not offering a lot of space. Large scale self storage options on the other hand, can include RV storage, boat storage, vehicle storage, climate control storage, drive up access storage and numerous other options depending on what your individual needs are. Once you know how much storage space you need, you can work on finding the right service to meet that need. If you only need to store small valuables, a safety deposit box in a banking institution may be ideal. If you are looking to store a boat on the other hand, a self storage facility with drive up access is the better choice.