The Lock Up Self Storage
The Lock Up Self Storage is a family-owned self-storage operator founded in 1974, running 40+ premium storage facilities across 8 US states with 1.6 million square feet, serving residential, commercial, student, wine, and vehicle storage customers through online and physical channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersWinnetka, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Lock Up Self Storage does
The Lock Up Self Storage is a family-owned self-storage operator founded in 1974 and headquartered in Winnetka, Illinois, running 40+ facilities across 8 US states (Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York) with approximately 1.6 million square feet of managed storage space. The company serves individual consumers (residential overflow, student storage) and small-to-medium businesses (inventory, document, and commercial storage), with secondary niches in wine storage and vehicle/boat storage. Facility density is heaviest in Chicago (7+ sites), Southwest Florida (Naples, Fort Myers, Sarasota, Bonita Springs), and Minneapolis, with single-site presence in higher-cost urban markets like Honolulu and the New York metro.
The core product is standardized self-storage unit rentals in sizes ranging from 5x5 to 10x40, with premium options including climate control, drive-up access, individual keypad entry, and 24/7 video surveillance. The technology stack is conventional for the industry: an online rental platform, a contactless move-in system issuing digital gate codes, a mobile app for account management, and a national call center (866-327-LOCK). The Lock Up differentiates on amenity quality — free move-in trucks, carpeted hallways, climate control, and a $25 bilateral referral program — rather than on proprietary software. Marketing is conducted through SEO-optimized location landing pages, social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube), and review platforms, where the company holds a 4.6/5 average across roughly 1,400 Google reviews.
Revenue is generated primarily through month-to-month recurring rental fees ranging from $22 (5x5) to $959 (10x40) per unit, with online rates priced 10–50% below in-store rates to drive digital conversion. Ancillary revenue comes from moving supplies, protection plans, and specialty storage premiums (wine, vehicle). The Lock Up is privately held with no institutional investment, no public ticker, and no disclosed M&A activity, leaving growth funded entirely by internal cash flow and family ownership capital.
The Lock Up Self Storage firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Lock Up Self Storage
- Legal name
- The Lock Up Self Storage
- Website
- https://thelockup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Lock Up Self Storage is a family-owned self-storage operator founded in 1974, running 40+ premium storage facilities across 8 US states with 1.6 million square feet, serving residential, commercial, student, wine, and vehicle storage customers through online and physical channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Lock Up Self Storage is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winnetka
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices34 records
Markets served
The Lock Up Self Storage business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Storage Unit Rentals: Monthly recurring rental fees from storage unit leases. Customers pay for designated square footage of secure storage space on a month-to-month basis. Pricing varies by unit size, climate control features, drive-up access, and location. Online rates typically offer 10-50% savings versus in-store pricing.
- Ancillary Storage Services: Additional revenue from moving supplies (boxes, tape, bubble wrap), protection plans, and possibly late fees. Optional add-on services purchased by customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Small Units (5x5 to 5x10) for boxes and small furniture |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Medium Units (10x7.5 to 10x12) for apartment contents |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Large Units (10x15 to 10x20) for multi-room contents |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Extra Large Units (10x25 to 10x40) for full home contents |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Climate-Controlled Units |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Drive-Up Access Units |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Wine Storage |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Vehicle/Boat Storage |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
The Lock Up Self Storage product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Lock Up Self Storage rents premium self-storage units (sizes from 5x5 lockers to 10x40 extra-large) at 40+ facilities across 8 U.S. states, offered on a month-to-month basis with climate-controlled and drive-up access options. The company supplements rentals with secure keypad access, 24/7 video surveillance, a contactless online move-in process, a free mobile app, a complimentary move-in truck at most locations, and wine and vehicle storage lockers for niche needs.
Product overview
The Lock Up Self Storage operates a network of self storage facilities across 8 states (Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York) offering standardized self storage unit rentals as its core product. The platform provides various unit types including standard, climate-controlled, and drive-up access units, with sizes ranging from small lockers (5x5) to large units (10x40). The company differentiates through premium amenities including secure access with keypad entry and 24-hour camera monitoring, free move-in trucks at most locations, wine storage facilities, vehicle storage, and a contact-free online rental system. Supporting services include moving supplies sales, referral rewards, and a mobile app for account management. The company manages over 1.6 million square feet of self storage space across 40+ facility locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Self Storage Units Core self-storage rental units available in sizes ranging from 5x5 lockers to 10x40 extra-large units for personal and business use, offered on a month-to-month basis with month-to-month flexibility.
- Climate-Controlled Storage Units Temperature-regulated storage units that maintain consistent internal temperature year-round, protecting wooden furniture, leather goods, electronics, documents, and musical instruments from heat, humidity, and cold. Premium $10–$50 per month above standard rates.
- Wine Storage Lockers Specialized climate-controlled storage lockers designed for wine collection aging, featuring reduced light exposure and minimal vibration. Pricing ranges from $39–$335 per month depending on case capacity.
- Commercial Storage Storage solutions for businesses to store inventory, equipment, supplies, and business documents with flexible month-to-month lease terms.
- Vehicle Storage Outdoor parking spaces and drive-up units for storing cars, RVs, boats, and other vehicles, providing secure long-term or short-term parking solutions.
- Moving Supplies On-site sale of moving and packing supplies including boxes of various sizes, Bubble Wrap, tape, furniture covers, gloves, and labels.
- Free Move-In Truck Service Complimentary use of a moving truck (with blankets and dollies) at most locations to assist customers with moving belongings into their new storage unit.
- Referral Rewards Program Referral program where both the referrer and referred customer each receive a $25 reward when the referred customer rents a storage unit at any location.
- Mobile App Free mobile application enabling customers to manage their storage account anywhere, make online payments, and access units.
- Contact-Free Online Rental Service Online rental process enabling customers to rent and pay for storage units remotely, with a unique gate code provided digitally, eliminating in-person paperwork.
Quantifiable outcome
- Save up to 50% when renting online vs in-store pricing
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Lock Up Self Storage
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Lock Up Self Storage technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
The Lock Up Self Storage partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Lock Up Self Storage competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Extra Space Storage: Second-largest US self-storage REIT with over 3,500 facilities. Directly comparable in unit types and customer segments, with broader geographic reach and public-market capital advantages.
- Public Storage: Largest publicly traded self-storage REIT in the US with thousands of facilities nationwide. Directly comparable business model and product offering (standard, climate-controlled, vehicle storage), but vastly larger scale and capital base.
- Life Storage: Former independent self-storage operator (now part of Extra Space Storage) that was comparable in scale and premium positioning to Lock Up pre-merger; useful proxy for institutional exit pathways and strategic acquirer interest in regional operators.
- National Storage Affiliates: Public self-storage REIT built through a network of participating regional operators. Comparable in operating philosophy to a regional chain like Lock Up, though materially larger and capital-markets backed.
- CubeSmart: Public self-storage REIT operating over 1,300 facilities across the US. Direct peer with similar product mix including climate-controlled, vehicle, and business storage, plus digital rental platform.
Direct peers
- Safeguard Self Storage: Privately held self-storage operator with multi-state presence. Comparable in scale and amenity offerings, competing for residential and commercial customers in overlapping markets.
- StorageMart: Privately held self-storage operator with facilities across the US and Canada offering residential, commercial, vehicle, and climate-controlled storage. Closest direct competitor in scale and private-operator positioning to Lock Up.
- Metro Self Storage: Privately held regional self-storage operator in the Midwest. Directly comparable in product mix (climate-controlled, vehicle, commercial) and customer segments, competing with Lock Up's Illinois footprint.
- Devon Self Storage: Privately held regional self-storage operator with properties concentrated in major US metros. Directly comparable in customer segments (residential, commercial, student) and amenity differentiation strategy.
Emerging players
- 10 Federal Storage: Privately held self-storage operator with technology-forward, contactless move-in platform. Comparable in digital-first GTM motion and premium amenity positioning, though smaller in geographic scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Lock Up Self Storage social profiles
Digital presenceThe Lock Up Self Storage financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Lock Up Self Storage leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Lock Up Self Storage funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Lock Up Self Storage M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Lock Up Self Storage
What does The Lock Up Self Storage do?
The Lock Up Self Storage rents premium self-storage units (sizes from 5x5 lockers to 10x40 extra-large) at 40+ facilities across 8 U.S. states, offered on a month-to-month basis with climate-controlled and drive-up access options. The company supplements rentals with secure keypad access, 24/7 video surveillance, a contactless online move-in process, a free mobile app, a complimentary move-in truck at most locations, and wine and vehicle storage lockers for niche needs.
Is The Lock Up Self Storage a public or private company?
The Lock Up Self Storage is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was The Lock Up Self Storage founded?
The Lock Up Self Storage was founded in 1974. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Lock Up Self Storage based?
The Lock Up Self Storage is headquartered in Winnetka, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Lock Up Self Storage make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Storage Unit Rentals are the primary driver. The others are ancillary Storage Services.
Who are The Lock Up Self Storage's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Extra Space Storage, Public Storage, Life Storage, National Storage Affiliates and CubeSmart. Direct peers are Safeguard Self Storage, StorageMart, Metro Self Storage and Devon Self Storage. 10 Federal Storage is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Lock Up Self Storage have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Lock Up Self Storage.