Update 8/25/25 – Montreal Mini-Storage opened its 24th location in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 24. The ground floor is open to customers, but one more floor is still under development. Once completed, the facility will offer 800 units, according to a source.
“Women make all the decisions at home,” said Margaux Chetrit, director of business development. “When parents are elderly, they’re the ones who move their belongings. When children leave home, they’re the ones who clean and organize things. They’re the ones who say they need space.”
As part of the grand opening, the company also donated free self-storage space to the organization Monthly Dignity, which fights against the causes and consequences due to the lack of access to menstrual education, products and proper sanitation facilities, the source reported.
Source: Journal Des Voisins, A Warehouse Designed by and For Women
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Posted 4/1/15 - Montreal Mini-Storage (MMS), which operates 23 self-storage facilities in Quebec, Canada, is opening a new location in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Montreal, Canada, on June 1 that was designed by and for women. The converted space at 500 Sauvé St. W. also incorporates energy-saving measures and includes dedicated parking spaces for Communauto, a local car-sharing service, according to a press release.
The project was led by the MMS female leadership team that includes Tonia Assaf, project manager; Margaux Chetrit, director of business development; Andrea Lafrechoux, director of real estate; Serena Miscione, leasing specialist; and Alida Wu, senior financial analyst. It was built by Devenir Construction, a subsidiary of MMS parent company Avenir Properties that was launched in January.
“We understood long ago that women are often the primary decision-makers when it comes to the organization of their homes and lives. Yet, the self-storage industry has historically overlooked their needs,” Chetrit said. “With this project, we’ve reimagined self-storage as an extension of the home—a welcoming, secure and practical space where women can store their family’s keepsakes, business inventory, seasonal holiday and sporting items, or personal treasures without compromising their living space.”
The two-story building comprises 82,000 square feet in 800 units. The adaptive-reuse project resulted in a carbon footprint estimated to be 50% lower than that of a conventional self-storage development. Features include:
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Bright interior and exterior areas to maximize visibility and safety, with 24/7 video surveillance and monitored security zones
Corner mirrors throughout the building to ensure full visibility around blind spots
Loading areas for cars and trucks
An appointment-based service through which tenants can book help to access or manage their units, depending on availability
As part of its ongoing efforts to uplift women-led ventures, MMS will offer 90 days of free storage to female entrepreneurs who use the space to house business-related inventory, supplies or equipment. In addition, all women renters will be eligible for a “wage-gap discount” of $0.82 on the dollar for the first year of tenancy to reflect pay-equity realities, the release stated.
The initiative builds on the company’s commitment to support women in business. Previous efforts include Clickspace pour Elle, a coworking concept created in partnership with the Scotiabank Women Initiative, and Ladies Who Launch, an annual summit empowering women entrepreneurs across industries.
MMS also plans to commission local artist Amelia Haddouchi, who’s known for her vibrant and empowering style, to create a building mural. The art will symbolize creativity, resilience and community, according to the release.
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“We’re incredibly proud to see the women of our team leading innovation across both commercial real estate and self-storage,” Lafrechoux said. “This facility is a powerful statement of what’s possible when women design for women, and it reinforces our belief that inclusive spaces strengthen our neighborhoods and economies.”
Founded in 2004, MMS is a subsidiary of Avenir Properties, a Canadian real estate group that specializes in developing and managing commercial and industrial assets. The company’s self-storage portfolio comprises nearly 11,000 units.
Devenir is a Montreal-based real estate entity specializing in end-to-end construction solutions. As the in-house construction division of Avenir, it became available to other self-storage developers and owners in January. Launched in 2022, it has delivered more than 500,000 square feet of self-storage in the province.
Source: EIN Presswire, Montreal Mini-Storage Launches First-of-Its-Kind Facility Designed by Women for Women in Ahuntsic-Cartierville
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