MSM Exclusives

Urban Jungle: Converting City Big Box Space Into Self-Storage

Dillon Barron — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:47:38 GMT

As self-storage demand continues to grow in urban and infill markets, developers are increasingly encountering a familiar constraint: limited land availability paired with rising costs and extended development timelines. In many dense cities, traditional ground-up construction is no longer the most efficient—or even a feasible—path forward. As a result, attention is shifting toward existing commercial assets as potential platforms for new self-storage development.

Among these opportunities, large-format retail buildings have emerged as particularly compelling candidates for adaptive reuse. Former big-box properties offer scale, visibility, and infrastructure that align well with self-storage fundamentals. When approached strategically, retail-to-storage conversions can unlock significant value while reducing exposure to many of the risks associated with new construction.

Rather than highlight a single example, this explores the broader strategy behind converting large retail structures into modern self-storage facilities and outlines what it takes to execute a project of this scope successfully, particularly within constrained urban environments.

Warm Up: Considerations For Heated Self-Storage Units

Jamie Tuinstra — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:31:38 GMT

When customers entrust their physical assets to a self-storage facility, they naturally want to feel assured that their items will be kept safe and sound. That means proper security precautions, but it might also mean climate control. Simply put, temperature moderation can be a critical way for self-storage operators to ensure that the items in their care are maintained in pristine condition.

Finding the right heating solution can be a challenge, as there are concerns with both efficiency and safety. It’s crucial for operators to be strategic, seeking an approach that supports operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and long-term profitability.

Stats By Starr: The Cancellation Graveyard & The Inactive Pipeline

Noah Starr — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:18:33 GMT

The self-storage industry has spent the better part of the last two years talking about a development slowdown. It makes sense when cost of construction is up, rates are down, and getting projects approved is harder than ever.

TractIQ currently tracks 395 self-storage projects with an official “Cancelled” status, representing roughly 23.1 million square feet of supply that was announced but never built. Sitting alongside that graveyard is a second larger population: 476 projects we’d call “inactive.” These projects are still listed as active in the pipeline yet show every sign of being abandoned.

Empowering Managers: Self-Storage Still Depends On People

Ashley Reyes — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:54:44 GMT

The self-storage industry has spent the last decade chasing efficiency through remote management, centralized call centers, and automation. However, in the process, many operators have quietly drifted away from the one thing that has always driven performance in this business: people. Self-storage is not just square footage and street rates; it’s a service business built on trust. Customers are storing their lives—transitions, memories, uncertainty—and they choose where to do that based on how they feel about your property. Ultimately, that experience comes down to one person more than anything else: your on-site manager.

Fostering Ownership

Let’s be blunt: Most operators still treat on-site managers like task-doers to open the office, answer calls, sweep units, and collect payments. This mindset leaves money on the table because a great on-site manager doesn’t just “run” a property—they take pride in and ownership of it. The decisions and care they bring to the asset every day directly influence how long customers stay, how well the property is maintained, how often issues turn into move-outs, and how successfully rate increases are absorbed. That’s not a soft impact—it’s direct NOI. Yet, in many management companies, the person closest to the customer has the least authority. At STORE Management, we recognize that as a critical mistake.

If you want managers to act like owners, you must treat them accordingly—invest in them, train them to understand KPIs and the levers that drive performance, and empower them to make informed decisions. Too many companies operate from a place of control, which leads to hesitation, slow decision-making, and, at best, a generic customer experience.

At STORE Management, we’ve taken the opposite approach. We believe the on-site manager should be one of the most empowered people on the property, not the most restricted. That means giving them the authority to solve problems in real time, the confidence and skill set to make judgment calls, and clear expectations that they are responsible for the asset—not just the tasks.

This philosophy begins with a fundamental shift in how care is defined. Care isn’t a checklist—it’s a standard that can’t be automated or reduced to a script. Pride in a property, attention to detail, and genuine concern for an asset’s condition all come from the person who walks it every day. The difference becomes clear quickly: A disengaged manager notices a problem and logs it, while an engaged manager takes action to fix it or finds a way to do so. That gap is where asset quality is either preserved or gradually eroded over time. At STORE Management, managers aren’t just expected to maintain properties—they are expected to own the standard through cleanliness, safety, presentation, and customer interaction, not because it’s written in a manual but because it defines the level of care required.

To support that level of ownership, training must go beyond systems and procedures. Training that truly changes behavior focuses on developing how managers think. Empowerment without proper training creates risk, yet too often in this industry, training emphasizes processes instead of decision-making. A more effective approach is to teach managers how to make sound judgments. This includes understanding why customers rent and what they may be experiencing, recognizing how their actions influence length of stay, knowing when to hold firm and when to be flexible, and seeing the direct connection between customer experience and revenue. When managers understand the “why,” the need to micromanage the “how” disappears.

At the same time, technology must be positioned correctly within this model. Technology should support judgment, not replace it. While the industry offers no shortage of tools—CRMs, pricing software, access systems, and dashboards—their value is often diminished when they are used as substitutes for people rather than as resources to enhance them. At STORE Management, technology is used to strengthen on-site decision-making, not eliminate it. Managers are equipped with real-time performance data, customer history, and pricing context, and they are trusted to apply that information thoughtfully. Ultimately, the best decisions are not made by algorithms in the background but by the person standing in front of the customer.

Better Results

This human-centered approach directly impacts the most important driver of long-term performance: length of stay. Length of stay is earned, not engineered. While much of the industry focuses on acquisition—marketing spend, lead conversion, and street rates—the true driver of success is how long customers choose to remain, and that is shaped by their experience at the property. Customers stay longer when they feel respected, when problems are resolved quickly, when the property is safe and well maintained, and when they trust the person managing it. That trust is not built through a call center; it is built through consistent, relationship-driven interactions.

This becomes especially important when evaluating extended customer rate increases (ECRIs). While many operators treat ECRIs as a pricing strategy, they are, in reality, a reflection of customer tolerance—and that tolerance is built on experience. If a tenant only associates your property with rising costs, they are likely to leave. But if they associate it with strong management, fairness, and care, they are far more likely to stay and absorb increases. At STORE Management, we see this consistently: When on-site managers are empowered, well-trained, and supported, length of stay increases and ECRI performance follows, not because we push harder but because customers are more willing to stay.

Despite this, the industry continues to move toward reducing on-site staffing, creating what appears to be a more efficient operating model. On paper, it works—lower payroll, higher margins. In reality, it’s a false economy. What is lost is accountability on the property, consistency in the customer experience, early detection of issues, and relationship-driven retention. These losses don’t show up immediately on a P&L, but they emerge over time through increased churn, declining asset condition, and missed revenue opportunities.

In many ways, none of this is new. If you look back at the fundamentals of the industry, strong operators have always focused on the customer, taken pride in their properties, and invested in their people. What has changed is the growing temptation to replace these fundamentals with systems. But systems alone do not create great experiences—people do.

Ultimately, the competitive edge in this industry remains human. Today, nearly every operator has access to the same tools, the same pricing software, and the same marketing channels. Differentiation no longer comes from technology alone—it comes from execution at the property level.

At STORE Management, we’ve made a clear decision: We are betting on people. We empower our on-site teams, train them to think rather than simply execute, and give them both the tools and the trust to succeed. When that foundation is in place, everything else follows—longer stays, better asset care, stronger customer relationships, and more effective revenue strategies. In the end, the highest-performing assets are not defined by the systems behind them but by the people leading them.

—

Ashley Reyes has joined STORE Management as managing director of operations, overseeing day-to-day operations, revenue growth, vendor partnerships, and onboarding across its managed storage portfolio. She brings 10-plus years of multi-site leadership experience, including nearly a decade at Public Storage, where she led ground-up developments and lease-ups, including a 3,500-unit facility to 96 percent occupancy in two years. At STORE, she will lead operational strategy and portfolio growth.

Forged By Fire: Andrew Hess' Second Act in Self-storage

Brad Hadfield — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:46:22 GMT

For two decades, Andrew Hess’ job was showing up on somebody’s worst day. He’d built a career as a fireman and paramedic, operating in high-pressure environments where hesitation could make a situation even more challenging. The job was structured, disciplined, and deeply rooted in teamwork—he loved it.

Then, in an instant, it was gone. “I got hurt on the job and wasn’t able to go back,” he says, “so that became the pivoting point where I went into self-storage and residential lending.”

For Hess, it wouldn’t just be a career change but a reshaping of everything he already knew.

Uniti Raises $12 Million To Automate Real Estate Operations

MSM — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:27:14 GMT

Uniti, a provider of AI-powered agents for real estate operators, has raised $12 million in Series A funding as demand grows for automation tools that streamline property management and customer engagement across multiple real estate sectors.

Driving Operational Efficiency With Smart Locks

Christine DeBord — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:25:53 GMT

The shift toward automation in self-storage is more than a passing trend—it’s becoming a core operational and cost-saving strategy. Owner-operators are facing mounting pressure to cut costs, scale efficiently, and deliver the seamless experiences customers now expect. Automating operations with integrated smart locks and smart entry technology that are accessible via robust mobile technology addresses all three.

Key operational drivers for smart lock adoption include:

Labor Costs and Staffing Challenges – Hiring and retaining qualified staff, especially at remote or rural sites, is increasingly difficult and expensive.
Evolving Consumer Expectations – Today’s customers demand self-service, mobile-first options that let them rent a unit in minutes, so they don’t need to wait for office hours.
Enhanced Security – Smart lock technology helps to deter break-ins and boost tenant confidence.

Mobile app-based smart locking technology is modernizing and streamlining self-storage operations like never before. With smart entry technology at facility entry points as well as smart locks on individual unit doors, owner-operators are now able to automate once manual tasks like lock removal for new rentals, lock checks, and the end-to-end overlocking process. For self-storage customers, this means that online and after-hours rentals can now be completely automated, mobile move-ins that provide full remote visibility for the owner.

But not every electronic lock on the market is the same in terms of fortifying your facility against theft, elevating convenience for your consumers, and streamlining your operations. By opting for industry-leading smart-locking technology, you can automate many manual processes at your facility, saving you both time and money.

Read on for nine non-negotiable features you’ll want to have in your smart locks and the results facility operators are already experiencing when using cutting-edge smart technology for individual unit security.

Key Elements To Include In Digital Lease Contracts

Alejandra Zilak — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 21:17:31 GMT

We live in the future now. Everything’s online: Swipe right to find a date, scan a QR code at restaurants to read the menu, and order laundry detergent to get delivered to your front door. To remain competitive, industries across the board need to have a compelling online presence.

Within the self-storage industry, you may be able to get away with a simple website, but when it comes to offering tenants digital leasing contracts, it’s crucial to implement multiple safeguards.

That may sound like common sense, yet it may also be overwhelming to keep track of all the pieces of the puzzle. What should you be looking for to ensure you’re implementing digital leasing effectively? Fortunately, there are plenty of industry veterans willing to offer guidance.*

Smart Art: SmartStop & Others Make Murals A Priority

Brad Hadfield — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 16:42:44 GMT

Murals have been part of the urban landscape for years, decorating buildings of all shapes and sizes. Initially, the artform was embraced for practical reasons, mainly to cover eyesores or deter graffiti (Muralist Dave Gordon has noted that murals are “rarely the target of taggers.”).

For many artists, however, murals were never just about covering something up or preventing something else. Diego Rivera, one of the most influential muralists of the 20th century, believed public art carried a greater responsibility. “The highest form of art is that which is accessible to all,” he said, and that idea feels especially relevant today.

While murals remain effective deterrents for taggers, they have increasingly become tools for branding, expression, and storytelling. That evolution is especially apparent in self-storage, where facilities usually occupy large, highly visible spaces. These properties offer the perfect canvas for large-scale artwork, and when done right, murals can reflect local identity and make a facility feel more connected to the community.

One company taking a distinctive approach is SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. Rather than commissioning a single artist, SmartStop turned its mural initiative into an international art contest, inviting artists across North America to submit city- or region-inspired designs representing one of the company’s major markets. Eleven winning entries were selected and transformed into full-size door wraps on drive-up units at SmartStop’s Ladera Ranch, Calif., facility.

“At SmartStop, we are always looking for innovative ways to connect with the communities we serve,” says H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO. “This contest was a fun and creative way to celebrate the unique character of markets across North America while supporting talented artists and bringing vibrant designs to our facility.”

Today, the property functions as an outdoor gallery, with each winning artist receiving a $1,000 prize. The featured markets include Southern California; Toronto; Phoenix; Asheville, N.C.; Sacramento; Miami; Edmonton; Seattle; Tampa/St. Pete; the New York metro area; and Vancouver.

“This contest was about more than just decorating a door—it was about giving artists across the U.S. and Canada a canvas to inspire,” Schwartz added.

View a video of SmartStop’s door wrap murals here: Watch Video

More Amazing Murals

SmartStop’s approach is one example of how murals are being used to connect with the community, but it’s far from the only one. Here’s how other operators across the country are using murals in equally meaningful ways.

Compass Self Storage

1831 W. Allegheny Avenue in Philadelphia, Pa.
Created in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, this mural was designed with a specific audience in mind: residents of a senior center located across the street. “We wanted to provide a more engaging and pleasant view for them,” says Katie Fete, director of marketing and PR. The project took several months to complete and has earned an overwhelmingly positive response from the surrounding community–and the residents across the street!

Understanding Surveillance Pricing In Self-Storage

Scott Zucker — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:31:40 GMT

In recent years, advances in data analytics and artificial intelligence have transformed how prices are set across industries. One emerging and controversial development is “surveillance pricing,” a term used to describe pricing strategies that rely on extensive data collection about individuals to determine what they are willing or able to pay. Although not generally used in self-storage, issues surrounding the use of surveillance pricing are being addressed in our industry.