What is in ALL those STORAGE units anyway?

MINE is the short version of my documentary, STORE that I made after I moved from a rural New England town of 2,000 to Los Angeles, CA with its nearly 4 million people, I expected many things to be different. However, I was amazed to see custom-built buildings to house personal possessions on nearly every corner. Not that we did not have self-storage in New Hampshire. My Dad owns a set of 26 units. Most of units available in New England are outside and not insulated. My Dad calls them “tin boxes sitting on a hill,” Basically they’re backyard sheds that just happen to be on someone else's land. While his units are an improvement, these structures in Los Angeles are truly complexes. At least one of these huge buildings had over 15,000 units! They have all the comforts of home – electricity, piped in-music, A/C with rent that is an1/8 of the average apartment its no wonder people try to live in them.

Even though I am a bi-coastal storer, I kept wondering what is everyone hanging on to? Is this something endemic to city living? Is it just a US thing? Is California a storage Mecca, or it is just Los Angeles? Perhaps it’s an actor thing? I know from looking at my life that women seem to have a greater connection to their stuff, with a ever increasing divorce rate, perhaps this has something to do with it. Why is the demand growing each year? And is it worth it for the consumer?

I've always been a storyteller. Most of my life, I've been on stage playing a part to help tell a story. When I first moved to LA, I was cast in a play about 9-11 that we performed as a tribute on the 1st anniversary. I have many good friends who live in NYC and some who even work at the Trade Center and escaped the buildings’ collapse. We were all affected in someway, but I didn't fully grieve until I played the part of Kim. She is an ER nurse whose firefighter husband was killed when Tower 2 came down. It wasn't my loss, it was hers, but somehow her experience became mine and I cried for them both.

I think being an actor and a filmmaker helps me understand the world better. We all judge each other in our lives, but the only way to understand and begin to accept another is to experience what they experience. Sometimes I feel a bit like I was left behind as E.T. was to learn about humanity. I’ve always wanted to know why people do what they do, so I decided to make films to see if I could find out.

We traveled to 8 states shooting this film - California, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. East vs. West Coast, rural towns vs. cities, indoor vs. outdoor storage, speaking to over 150 people various ties and experiences with storage including owners, managers, and users. They share their stories and their stuff in the hope, I believe, to learn that they are not alone. That it’s not frivolous, shameful or crazy to keep their stuff in storage. However there are stories that we capture where people ventured into the extreme, which may not be the most sensible behavior pattern. When is it collecting and when is it hoarding? Are there certain sociological factors that contribute to this affliction?

STORE gives such notable personalities as Jane Withers and Margaret O’Brien the chance to share their collections and their “cautionary tales,” according to Jane, with the public. Jane’s collection includes furniture from Mary Pickford’s house, memorabilia and photographs from her 70-year entertainment career, and the 14,000 dolls in her collection. She most recently stored her belongings in a warehouse as her collection was far too large for her house or a conventional storage unit. Margaret’s collection has costumes from her 60-year career, a Peruvian mummy, and her Oscar (a terrific story we tell in the film) housed in 6 separate storage units.