Space is becoming extinct in Hong Kong. Another chair is introduced, followed by delivery boxes piled up against the wall and all of a sudden the apartment looks smaller than it was a month ago. So we are not even aware of the congestion levels, until we start hitting our own stuff in the mornings prior to going to work. It is likely to be the reason why mini storage continues to be brought up in discussions recently.
At dinner, friends discuss it. I was informed by somebody in the office that they had half their winter stuff stored in a mini storage house. Even the families that intuitively thought that storage renting was an activity of the rich people are now checking prices at lunch time.
The ironic thing is that the majority of the people are not keeping up luxuries or luxurious collections. It’s everyday life clutter. Baby strollers somehow required in the future. Suitcases that are carried out twice a year. Books that are antique and no one would dispose of them because of the chance that one day. The Hong Kong apartments are inhumane exposing how human beings are hoarders.
Others have started to rent a self storage due to the prevalence of working at home. That transition transformed it all. Desks were made out of the spare corners. The tables in dining rooms were turned into offices. There was no room any longer to have random storage boxes around the house. One of my friends would bring his golf clubs, camping gear and old speakers and put them in a mini storage facility and said his flat would breathe again. I guess it was dramatic wording, but I did understand it.
It also has the psychological side to it. Clutter drains people. It is not immediately noticeable, but after a period of time the mess starts to sound loud. That weirdly is a relief to get into a neater apartment once everything is deposited in storage. Almost suspiciously calming.
This trend was early on in mini storage companies in Hong Kong. The majority of them are currently offering customizable rental rates, twenty-four-hour and climate-controlled units with the pressures of convenience. No one desires an intricate procedure to put away holiday decorations and additional furniture. When it is more challenging than the reopening of the apartment itself, individuals surrender mid-way.
The other factor that has perpetuated the increase in self storage is mere economics. The cost of moving to an apartment of a bigger size in Hong Kong is painfully expensive. Hiring a small storage facility can be much cheaper than moving to a bigger flat. That is math louder than any advertisement which any family has ever needed.
Companies are following suit. Inventory is held online by the online sellers. Rather than stacking small home offices with equipment, freelancers keep them at storage units. Startups are literally using mini storage as the back-end devices. Strange? A little. Smart? Honestly, yes.
And there is a queer social change that is taking place about it. Storage rental was many years ago seen as a last resort, after people moved house. Now it is more natural. More practical. Similar to food delivery applications. Initially people used to think, “Do I actually require this? Then all of a sudden everyone is using it thrice a week without a second thought.
Hong Kong is changing at a fast rate. The living habits are even more rapidly changing. The self storage was just thrown into a problem that practically everyone had lying around his apartment.
