Spaceman Storage

Do you own more stuff than open space in your home or apartment? Store some of your belongings in a self storage unit. That way, you open up more room in your home and can still get to those items in storage any time you want.

Packing your vinyl record collection for storage? Experts recommend you use sturdy compact boxes (12 x 12 x 12 inches). Pad the box bottom and sides, leave records in the cardboard jacket and stand the jackets on edge rather than stacking them.

Self storage businesses are fairly new additions to the business landscape. Industry experts say the first facility appeared in 1958 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, although the industry did not boom immediately. That occurred beginning in 2000, when more than 3,000 new self storage facilities opened for six consecutive years in the U.S.