Groundbreaking Development: Martin Self Storage, North Carolina

Since the first Martin Self Storage opened in 1994, tenants have come to “Expect the Best.” After all, owner James Martin trademarked those words around that same time.

Now, customers at Martin’s latest facility in the small town of Oak Island/St. James, N.C., can look forward to those same high standards. 

Situated on 4.88 acres and comprising 75,000 net rentable square feet, the multistory facility boasts 566 units (65 percent of which are climate controlled).

Martin himself designed the storage structures and unit mix, and his company Martin Development Inc. handled the build, with an assist from Alternative Architecture’s Michael Connor, who’d fly with Captain Martin (yes, he’s also a pilot) to random facilities for inspiration. 

During construction, Martin was known to make last-minute changes to suit his vision, swapping storefront glass for residential window units and sheet metal for Fiberon composite decking on the main sign. These changes paid off; customers love the facility’s modernized take on a mid-century drive-in, along with small details like the heritage oak trees, symbolic of coastal North Carolina, incorporated into building letters.

Since opening in March 2024, the facility has been leasing up fast with no signs of slowing down.