New York’s most well-known landmarks? The Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building…and Manhattan Mini Storage’s sassy billboards. Despite selling to fellow containing company StorageMart in 2021 in a multi-billion dollar deal, the brand’s signature bold billboards continue to amuse viewers and occasionally rankle their subjects.
Billboards towering over one of the company’s prominent Hell’s Kitchen locations on W44th Street and 12th Avenue continued the company’s legacy of progressive political statements, with a sign reading: “Instead of ‘Don’t Say Gay’, Maybe Just…Don’t Say Anything #SpaceForAll”, in a jaunty jab at Republican governor Ron Desantis’ anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. Another billboard along the West Side Highway takes aim at the advanced age of the US Presidential Election’s likeliest candidates, in a poster declaring: “Store Old Things Here, Not the White House.”
The storage company, which was founded in 1978, has long been known for its proudly progressive and often humorous posters, ranging from naked-model ads declaring “Maybe we make storage too easy” to myriad references lamenting the challenges of living in New York: “NYC: Tolerant of Your Beliefs, Judgmental of Your Shoes”, “Whoever Said Size Doesn’t Matter Wasn’t Talking About Your Apartment”, “Ex and the City: We’ll Help You Move On,” and “You’re Not Little Edie, and this isn’t Grey Gardens”. A few of the Manhattan Mini Storage’s targets have been less-than-thrilled with their starring role on the brand’s billboards, including disgraced UK royal Prince Andrew, called out in a 2022 sign: “Safe, Secure, and Protected with Minimal Charges — Just Like Prince Andrew”, and Paris Hilton, who sent a cease-and-desist to the company in 2007 after a Manhattan Mini Storage ad noted: “Your Closet’s So Shallow it Makes Paris Look Deep.”
When Edison Properties sold the brand for a whopping $3 billion to Missouri-based StorageMart in 2021, many wondered if the billboards would retain a similar tone and feel, or, resort to more standard storage messaging. However, their website does display a gallery of their favorite billboards, saying with pride: “Drag queens. A storage Guru. Cute characters with filthy mouths. Billboards so good they’ve been hit with a cease and desist.”
Adam Steckler, Chief Operating Officer for StorageMart told W42ST that Manhattan Mini Storage’s reputation for out-of-the-box billboards was here to stay. “Manhattan Mini Storage has been renowned for its distinctive and witty billboard advertisements long before the acquisition by StorageMart,” he said. “Statement lines like ‘NYC has fewer closets but our kids aren’t afraid to come out of them’ or tongue in cheek lines like ‘Oh yeah, you’ll fit right in in Connecticut’ have left a lasting impression on the city’s residents. Our primary objective was to maintain this unique identity and continue the brand’s advertising style.”
The brand’s recent political ads “initiate engaging conversations with a touch of humor, a hallmark of our brand,” added Steckler. “Our aim is to remain relevant to the diverse and dynamic culture of New York City… The acquisition by StorageMart has only strengthened our resolve to continue captivating the hearts and minds of New Yorkers through our iconic billboard humor. For a storage company, our voice is something different. New Yorkers have many viewpoints and our billboards get the city’s attention. People are talking about our ads. That’s the point. And maybe, we’ll even sell a few storage units too.”
It seems the recent signage is proof that Manhattan Mini Storage’s mirth-filled messaging is here to stay!