4 MIN READ
April 18, 2026
Fred Bernstein (center) and his family after clearing out the storage unit. Fred Bernstein/WSJ
I had several friends share this WSJ article with me when it was published last weekend. At first glance, the headline made it seem like another “self-storage is bad” story. I’ve heard this narrative many times, especially from investors who have realized they’ve spent far too much money storing items they don’t need, perhaps don’t want, but they keep on paying. One friend stored an entire bedroom’s worth of furniture while moving abroad. During a conversation we were having about self-storage, I think he suddenly realized he was still paying for the unit after 10 years. Since the bill went through his company, he didn’t have a monthly reminder on his credit card statement about the expense. That weekend, he decided to clear out the unit. He couldn’t find the key, accidentally cut the lock on the wrong unit, and when he finally found his unit, he loaded up everything for a one-way trip to Goodwill.
Self-storage is a convenience for inconvenient times: losing a loved one, transitioning into assisted living, losing a job, or going through a divorce. It’s also a convenience for life’s most exciting moments, like graduating from college, getting married, or having a child. The convenience that is self-storage is quintessentially American.
We move frequently.
The average American will live in 12 different places over their lifetime. Personally, I’ve moved 15 times and expect to keep moving as life changes. Movers use a lot of storage, and about 35% of home buyers and sellers use self-storage during the process.
We own a lot of stuff.
America’s large middle class and consumer-driven economy fuel this. The Amazon one-click button might be one of the best things to ever happen to the self-storage industry. I’ve noticed, both in myself and my daughters, that there’s satisfaction in clicking Amazon’s yellow “Buy Now” button. The instant gratification often surpasses the excitement of the product’s arrival.
We’re busy.
Middle-class Americans have endless hobbies and entertainment options, a byproduct of living in a free country. Thanks to YouTube, I’ve realized that no matter your interest, someone else shares it and has already uploaded a video about it. Having money and choices sometimes distracts us from the tasks we don’t enjoy, like clearing out a storage unit or, in my case, training a neurotic one-year-old dog. (We’ve let Prozac do most of the training.)
The article doesn’t portray storage as a bad thing. While it often costs much more than the value of what’s stored, it also preserves memories. Sometimes the ones you want to keep, and occasionally the ones you’d rather forget.
No doubt many who read the article will think, “That’s me.” But only a few of them will actually take the step to clear out their self-storage unit.