It would be easy to reckon that the renovation boom that Hong Kong is experiencing is an overnight phenomenon. It owes, but truth to tell, a surprising percentage to the silent work which is not in the limelight, but is insidiously going on just out of sight which is self storage at Lai Chi Kok 茘枝角 迷你倉. It is hidden in seclusion behind hustling roads and skyscrapers; these reserves have become the saviors of the unknown many families and contractors.

Consider you are ripping out your Kowloon flat, you have little time, the contractor is stern in his timeframe and your cherished vinyl record collection is going to need a month of protection. Whom do you call? Hongkongers are calling more and more often to the closest storage facility in Lai Chi Kok. According to the industry stats, the available renovation activity increased by almost 20 percent during the three years. But living space at home has made hardly any progress. Ministorage fills the gap.

There is the swirling dust, tiles being broken during renovations and old furniture that need to be removed in place of shiny new ones. Rather than have the stuff precariously piled in hallways, intelligent renovators store it away safely in such facilities. It avoids keeping the damage and leaves you with some space, quite literally but also metaphorically. Weirdly enough, there are people who even use ministorage as an audition process to abandon cluttering.

Next time you pass a ministorage sign in Lai Chi Kok, don not turn away thinking that it is a part of city scenery that you do not need to remember. On the inside, there are quiet boxes collecting dust, dust which may be in your own hall as well as said boxes may be containing your grandmother wedding cheongsam or your son Lego sets. In some of the home makeovers in Hong Kong, the tiniest of the areas can offer the greatest peace of mind.