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There have always been symbols of America. Some are enduring — the bald eagle, the flag, the Statue of Liberty — representing independence and freedom. Others have been more ephemeral but remain in the American consciousness as symbols: the Pony Express, the railroad, the steamboat — all suggestive of movement, of expansion, of entrepreneurship and creativity, of growth and opportunity. Then there’s the automobile: symbol of the country’s vibrant manufacturing, as well as the role it played in the birth and explosive spread of the suburbs. The ability of Americans to buy a house in the suburbs eventually led to the two-car garage — a symbol of rising standards of living.
I would like to suggest a contemporary new symbol: the self-storage facility. A symbol of the rise of living standards to the point of overflowing. The home and the two-car garage were not sufficient to hold all our stuff — we needed an extra little house to handle it all. Is there another business as ubiquitous as the self-storage facility?
Gloria Vollmers
Bangor