By Mick Holien
With some 1,000 storage units either already built or facing construction one has to ask do we all just have too much stuff.
And while I hesitate to call it junk – full well realizing that one person’s junk is another’s treasure – do we have too much junk?
When I first moved to Missoula in the early eighties, I worked at a business that had a lot of unused land close to its retail operation.
And coming from the Tri Cities of Washington where the economy had been brisk thus prompting purchase of extra items without a location I suggested we build a block of storage units and handle the management without extra employees by running it through the existing retail operation.
So what did we do?
That particular idea, far ahead of its time, fell flat yet now there are at least a quartet of storage until operations in the same west-side neighborhood.
Oh well opportunity lost.
But I can’t imagine the number of various size storage units have been built and made some folks a butt-load of money since then.
Locally the latest of what I will describe as foresight is currently under construction on Highway 35.
I accused my buddy who was building a phased project near I-90 in Missoula of sizing the houses in such a way, 1000-square-feet, that every buyer was being required to also buy or rent available nearby storage facilities because in downsizing there just wasn’t enough room for their gear.
And I speak from experience because I had the same challenge when I moved to Polson except I pledged to myself, having an aversion to paying for storage, I would store off the property for only three months and I now brag that’s what I did.
A recent story I read pointed out that part of the need for such structures is often the building of extra living space in say a garage which eliminates its storage use.
And what do you do with your outdoors stuff in the winter time?
Then of course there is the unconscionable solution – declutter they call it. Not!
I found a novel way just this week. Consign it at a thrift or collectables operation. That way they pay you when you sell and you avoid paying a stranger.
Just sayin
