Manhattan Mini Storage
A Manhattan-based self-storage company serving residential and business customers across New York City.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Manhattan Mini Storage is a self-storage brand based in New York City. Its business is centered on renting storage units to individuals, households, and organizations that need additional space for possessions, inventory, equipment, records, or other belongings. The brand’s geographic identity is closely tied to Manhattan and the wider New York City market, where limited residential and commercial space creates recurring demand for off-site storage. The company was founded in 1978 by Jerry Gottesman, who had previously founded Edison Properties. From its beginnings, Manhattan Mini Storage developed as a property-based storage operator rather than as a general consumer-products brand. Its facilities provide customers with access to storage units in a range of sizes, with the precise availability and configuration varying by location. The service proposition is based on convenience, secure space, and proximity to customers living or working in a dense urban environment. Manhattan Mini Storage has also been distinguished by an unusually visible and opinionated advertising style. Its billboard campaigns used humor, political references, celebrity references, and commentary on New York life to promote the practical value of reclaiming space. Examples included jokes about shrinking closets, leaving New York, same-sex marriage, cloud storage, and storing old things rather than keeping them in the White House. Some advertisements generated legal or reputational attention, including a 2007 billboard referring to Paris Hilton that reportedly prompted a cease-and-desist letter from her lawyer. The campaign approach made the storage company more recognizable than a conventional local property operator, while keeping the central message focused on the shortage and value of urban storage space. In December 2021, Manhattan Mini Storage was acquired by StorageMart in a transaction reported at $3 billion. At the time of the acquisition, the business comprised 18 properties and approximately 3.1 million square feet of storage space. The transaction placed Manhattan Mini Storage within StorageMart’s broader self-storage platform while retaining the Manhattan Mini Storage identity. In January 2026, the company acquired a portfolio of 15 locations from affiliates of The Carlyle Group. The portfolio was reported to contain approximately 1.3 million net rentable square feet and 25,498 storage units, with a reported transaction value of $1.03 billion. Following that acquisition, the brand was described as operating 51 locations. These transactions indicate a strategy of expanding through substantial urban property acquisitions in addition to operating its established facility network. Manhattan Mini Storage remains an active New York City self-storage brand. Its distinguishing characteristics are a concentrated metropolitan footprint, a long operating history, integration into StorageMart following the 2021 acquisition, and advertising that has treated storage as both a practical service and a subject for topical cultural humor.
History
Manhattan Mini Storage was founded in 1978 by Jerry Gottesman, the founder of Edison Properties. The company developed as a New York City self-storage operator, providing rented units for customers who needed more space than was available in their homes, offices, or other premises. Its business model was particularly suited to Manhattan and the surrounding metropolitan environment, where high real-estate costs, dense development, frequent moves, and limited private storage create demand for nearby off-site facilities. Over time, the company established a network of storage properties in Manhattan and became associated with a highly recognizable billboard advertising program. Rather than relying only on conventional service claims, its advertisements used topical jokes and provocative cultural references to dramatize the problem of limited storage space. Campaign themes included political figures, New York’s relationship with the rest of the United States, same-sex marriage, digital cloud storage, celebrity culture, and the accumulation of possessions. This approach gave the company a broader public profile than its core property-rental service might otherwise have produced. Several advertisements attracted particular attention. In 2007, the company used lines about shrinking closets and political figures, including a billboard comparing a narrow closet with Dick Cheney’s political views and another comparing a shallow closet with Paris Hilton’s perceived depth. The Paris Hilton execution included an image of a chihuahua wearing pearls and reportedly led to a cease-and-desist letter from Hilton’s lawyer. In 2011, the company continued its politically pointed style with billboards referring to Michele Bachmann, the decision to leave New York, the city’s sports teams, and marriage equality. Later campaigns moved into technology, family and identity, royalty, and United States presidential politics. A major ownership change occurred in December 2021, when StorageMart acquired Manhattan Mini Storage for a reported $3 billion. At the time, the company operated 18 properties with approximately 3.1 million square feet of storage space. The acquisition made Manhattan Mini Storage a division of StorageMart and connected the established New York brand to a larger self-storage owner and operator. The company expanded again through a major acquisition announced in January 2026. It purchased 15 locations from affiliates of The Carlyle Group. The portfolio was reported to include about 1.3 million net rentable square feet and 25,498 storage units, for a reported price of $1.03 billion. With that portfolio included, Manhattan Mini Storage was described as having 51 locations. The transaction represented a substantial increase in the brand’s New York City operating footprint and demonstrated the continuing importance of acquisitions in the company’s growth strategy. Manhattan Mini Storage is therefore best understood as an active, geographically concentrated self-storage brand whose history combines long-term operation in New York City, topical and sometimes controversial advertising, integration into StorageMart, and continued expansion through large property transactions.
- 2026
Expanded through Carlyle-affiliated portfolio acquisition
[1]The company acquired 15 locations with approximately 1.3 million net rentable square feet and 25,498 storage units, reportedly for $1.03 billion.
- 2021
Acquired by StorageMart
[1]StorageMart acquired Manhattan Mini Storage in December in a reported $3 billion transaction.
- 2011
Political and social commentary continues in advertising
[1]Billboards referenced Michele Bachmann, moving away from New York, New York sports, and marriage equality.
- 2007
Provocative billboard advertising gains attention
[1]The company ran billboard jokes involving political figures, closet space, and Paris Hilton. The Paris Hilton advertisement reportedly resulted in a cease-and-desist letter from her lawyer.
- 1978
Company founded
[1]Jerry Gottesman founded Manhattan Mini Storage in New York City.
Products and positioning
A locally rooted, urban self-storage provider emphasizing convenient New York City locations, secure additional space, and distinctive humorous advertising.
Self-storage service
Personal self-storage
Storage units rented to individuals and households for possessions that do not fit conveniently in a residence. The service addresses common urban needs such as moving, renovation, downsizing, seasonal storage, and limited apartment storage capacity. Unit availability, size, and facility features vary by location.
Commercial self-storage service
Business storage
Storage space for businesses and organizations that need room for inventory, equipment, documents, supplies, or other operational materials. The offering is suited to companies operating in space-constrained New York City premises and forms part of the brand’s broader personal and business storage proposition.
Real-estate-based storage network · 1978
Storage facilities and units
A network of self-storage properties across New York City containing units in different configurations and sizes. The portfolio was reported to include 51 locations as of January 2026, following the acquisition of an additional 15-location portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Store old things here, not the White House
New York City
Released in August 2024 ahead of the United States presidential election, the billboard encouraged viewers to store old possessions with the company rather than associate them with the White House.
Outcome. The campaign continued the brand’s election-season political humor.
- 2022Prince Andrew billboard
New York City
A billboard promoted storage as “safe, secure, protected, with minimal charges,” using a reference to Prince Andrew’s association with Jeffrey Epstein.
Outcome. The campaign maintained the brand’s pattern of using current public controversies as advertising material.
- 2015I Like My Wife and Kids, But I Love My Storage Locker
New York City
The campaign used a humorous line about emotional attachment to a storage locker and featured a transgender woman or male drag performer posed near a vanity surrounded by furs and wigs.
Outcome. The execution continued the company’s use of distinctive visual characters and irreverent humor.
- 2014Don't trust the cloud
New York City
The company contrasted physical storage with the emerging popularity of cloud-based digital services through the short message “Don't trust the cloud.”
Outcome. The campaign positioned physical storage as a tangible alternative to an increasingly digital concept of storage.
- 2011New York and political commentary billboards
New York City
The company ran billboards referencing Michele Bachmann, leaving New York, the city’s professional sports teams, and the pending New York marriage-equality debate.
Outcome. The campaign extended the brand’s topical, locally oriented advertising style.
- 2007Political closet-space billboards
New York City
The company used provocative billboard lines comparing inadequate closet space with the political positions of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The creative connected the ordinary problem of cramped storage with current political debate.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to the brand’s reputation for playful and provocative outdoor advertising.
- 2007Paris Hilton billboard
New York City
A billboard joked that a closet was so shallow it made Paris Hilton look deep and included an image of a chihuahua wearing pearls.
Outcome. The advertisement reportedly prompted a cease-and-desist letter from Paris Hilton’s lawyer.
Brand decisions
2026
Acquisition of 15-location portfolioM&ABackground
The acquisition expanded the company’s urban storage network through a portfolio previously held by affiliates of The Carlyle Group.
Action taken
Manhattan Mini Storage acquired 15 locations containing approximately 1.3 million net rentable square feet and 25,498 storage units.
Aftermath
The company was reported to have 51 locations as of January 2026.
Reported acquisition value. $1.03 billion (January 2026)
2021
Sale to StorageMartM&ABackground
Manhattan Mini Storage operated a sizable New York City storage portfolio, reported at 18 properties and approximately 3.1 million square feet at the time of the transaction.
Action taken
StorageMart acquired the company in December 2021.
Aftermath
Manhattan Mini Storage became a division of StorageMart while continuing to operate under its established brand identity.
Reported acquisition value. $3 billion (December 2021)
Recent events
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