Depending where you are in the world, you may have recently detected a slight chill in the evenings or early mornings. During my nearly 30 years living in Southern Arizona, this was a moment for utter celebration, when the thermometer shifted from unbearable to tolerable, and signaled that the healing coolness of late fall and winter was just around the corner. Elsewhere, this moment brings anticipation for autumn colors and the ushering of more traditional seasonal celebrations than mere relief from the heat of a long, extended summer.

For sports fans, fall marks the kick off for college and professional football, hockey and, of course, baseball’s World Series. Though cable and streaming services have altered the way television series are rolled out, fall remains the official seasonal start for many shows broadcast over the public airwaves, and remains an important point on the calendar for the entertainment industry. For much of the business world, including self-storage, fall means back-to-school, budget planning and the last-quarter push to finish the fiscal year strong.

In the most overarching and cliched sense, fall signals change. The season’s colorful transformation brings an onrush of year-end observances, from Rosh Hashana to Christmas, before giving way to the birth of a new year. Perhaps naturally or by design, it’s also a time for reflection. For many, the combination of religious holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and the end of the calendar year coincide with a sense of nostalgia and desire for family and community.

The magnetism of the communal spirit shouldn’t be discounted. Many self-storage operators leverage this collective mindset to their benefit and use the season to connect with their local markets in meaningful ways. From charity drives to hosting community events, this is often the time of year when storage operators are most visible to residents and businesses who aren’t actively renting a unit. Giving prospects a meaningful reason to stop by your property to make a donation, break bread with neighbors in celebration or even participate in costume contest can help plant a seed, make a connection and keep you top of mind for when the need for self-storage arises.

It’s also an opportunity to put your business personality on display. How you decorate (or whether you decorate) for Halloween and Thanksgiving can say a lot about your company. As competition tightens, workplace culture and spirit help create a narrative about your operation and can be a subtle difference-maker when would-be customers are deciding where to store their belongings.

Here at Inside Self-Storage, we want to know how you embrace the fall season. We’re working on a project that will showcase examples of Halloween and fall celebrations, from creative, decorative displays to community involvement. If you have high-resolution images of current or past facility decorations and/or events you’re proud of, we want to see them. What has been the community reaction to events you’ve hosted? What about the seasonal spirit you’ve put on display? Do you go all out or take a conservative approach? What are the business reasons behind these decisions? If you’d like to participate, please e-mail me by Oct. 11 at [email protected].