Ever wondered what was before Lok’nStore Business & Household Self Storage?

The history of self storage begins much farther back than most think. Buz Victor (who founded the Self Storage Association), while on a trip to China discovered that people had been keeping their personal belongings in clay pots for over six thousand years. These pots were deposited in underground storage areas, and were monitored to make sure nobody could access any jar but their own.

Later on British dignitaries would vacation or be away for extended periods of time, they too would seek personal storage - they would often hire banking companies to keep their valuables secure, and the banks in turn would go to moving companies. These companies would secure lofts or stables, and store the valuables in crates inside, often putting watchmen nearby.

We can all learn about the do’s and don’ts of storing goods and belongings by examining the history of self storage. For example, security has forever been one of the main reasons people seek personal storage, and remains one of the most (if not the most) important aspect of it today. The history of self storage shows us that originally, whoever was charged with taking care of valuables would retain responsibility in the event that they were lost or destroyed. For example, if a loft for a British aristocrat were burned down, the bank would be held responsible.

The first facility in the history of self storage (as we now know it) was in Odessa, Texas, and was called “A1 U-Store-It, U-Lock-It, U-Carry the Key.” Russ Williams, who had worked in the oil industry for much of his life, enjoyed fishing in his free time and needed somewhere to keep extra equipment and boats. He realized other firms in the oil industry could use similar storage units for commercial purposes, and so bought a group of apartments and garages.

They more or less sold themselves.

Possibly the most important lesson to draw from the history of self storage is an obvious one: as long as there are things, people will need somewhere to put them.

By Mike Farley

(For those of you who are still awake, have a look at this Moose head made of cardboard)

Lok’nStore Business & Household Self Storage brings you another story from the world of cardboard!

Nothing is a new commercial creative agency formed by Michael Jansen and Bas Korsten that has just opened its doors in Amsterdam. While the city houses the KesselsKramer agency in a fairly unconventional building – a nineteenth-century church – the Nothing office is an unusual construction too, in that it is built almost entirely out of cardboard. They sent us some great pictures of the space, which was created by designers Joost van Bleiswijk and Alrik Koudenburg.

The Nothing team took the idea behind the company name (taking nothing and turning it into something) as the starting point for the physical design of the office; which included creating walls, signage, beams, tables, shelving and even a set of stairs out of cardboard.

But Nothing aren’t going to be prissy about the clean lines of designer cardboard that surrounds them. Apparently, the walls will double as a blank canvas with visitors encouraged to leave their mark on the surfaces. Indeed, illustrator Fiodor Sumkin was the first to liven up Nothing’s predominantly brown colour scheme with some well-crafted penmanship.

And when they get bored by the accumulated daubings, the studio can presumably replace individual sections of their workspace for, well, nothing much at all.

If you’re looking for cardboard boxes to make your new office or even to store those old archive documents then give Lok’nStore a call.  We have a huge range of boxes in stock in our Business & Household Self Storage centre’s plus bubblewrap and packing tape.  For more information call 0800 587 3322 or visit our website.

All photography by Joachim Bann

Do you need storage space in the Tonbridge area?  Then give Loknstore Business & Household Self Storage a call on 01732 771007.  They have all the storage space you’ll ever need plus a huge range of boxes & bubblewrap.  For more information check out our website.

If you’re after Business or Household Self Storage in the Swindon area look no further, Lok’nStore have it covered.  LoknStore is Swindon favourite storage company with 2 centres in the town.  Just give our friendly centre a call on 0800 587 3322 for a quote or pop in for a chat, a cup of tea and a look a round.  We have a large variety of units and sizes for you to store in, ranging from a small locker right up to 500sqft of storage space!  Don’t forget that these units are all private rooms with your own padlock on the door.  Only you can get access to your goods!  We also have some limited car storage on site and also have container storage at the lowest prices guaranteed.  And if its boxes and bubblewrap that you’re after come in and have a look at the retail shop for all your packaging needs!  Loknstore Swindon East is on the Elgin Industrial Estate and can be contacted on 01793 421234.  Swindon West is at the Rushy Platt Industrial Est., behind the BMW dealership, and can be called on 01793 878222.  For further information please have a look at our website.  Too much stuff?  Don’t ignore it… Loknstore it!        

Businesses / Offices / Traders / Organisations / Public bodies

Let Loknstore be your storeroom or your stockroom – many companies and businesses do!  Remember that you have access to your things every day – as often as you want. It’s your own unit.  We store files, boxed or racked and archives, stock seasonal or temporary, spares and materials, paletted goods and pretty much anything else that businesses and organisations need to store. 

For more details give us a call on 0800 587 3322 or visit our website.