There is a space shortage on Hong Kong Island. One day it is good in your flat and then all the shelves are overworking and your suit-case has become part of the furniture. Click for more hints about this page!
It is then where mini storage tends to come into the picture. Not loudly. More of a throwaway mention of someone who now somehow has a cleaner living room, that they had moved some stuff out.
It is interesting how it is still under-discussed.
You would expect that in an area where the space is this limited, people would have already been storing in units. However a large number of people are hesitant. They assume that it is neither convenient, nor expensive nor business-specific. No more of that just.
The superior mini storage facilities within Hong Kong Island are surprisingly available.
The rest are concealed in business areas that you walk past every day without giving a thought. Others are within a few minutes of MTR stations, hence it does not make one feel as a burden to put things down. You do not have to make a plans of a whole afternoon about it.
The fact that they have an element of convenience alters their usage among the people.
It is not something that happens once but is a gradual shift. A box this week, a suit-case next week, perhaps some stuff after a clean-up of the closet. At home you feel lighter and you do not need to give it a dramatic makeover.
And probably that is the reason why it appears to be a best kept secret.
It is not that people are concealing it but it is so subtle. There is no pompous pre- and post-reveal. Just a reduced amount of clutter, increased breathing and reduced instances where you are scoping to see something.
The variety of the size of the units also has its share.
There is no need to have a large area to invest in. The other units are large enough to house some boxes and seasonal products. During a renovation or temporary relocation other people can move furniture. It is adaptable to the manner people live here.
And there is an unspoken intellectual gain.
Your house is no longer a place where you put all your things in, and you start to consider a place to sleep. You need not constantly be reminded of the things that you need to organize, sort or get rid of. Those background noises are eliminated.
Naturally, not all storage possibilities are worth it.
There are still others that are harder to access. Others are sort of too secretive, in a non-reassuring manner. It ought to explore the basics such as the location, the opening hours, the accessibility of both access and exit. You will not put it in place when it appears to be a pain.
However, when it works, it works.
No longer do you haggle with your space. You will not stack up the stuff in corners, just because you have no place to put it. And you start to put your house to its use, that is not to store.