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City Storage & City Cellars

4.5 star rating
based on 27 reviews

Categories: Home Services, Self Storage

Neighborhood: Potrero Hill
500 Indiana St
(between 18th St & Mariposa St)
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 436-9900
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Hours:

Mon-Sat. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

27 reviews for City Storage & City Cellars

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Photo of Jenny K.

 

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256

Jenny K.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
4/15/2008

Have you ever moved halfway across the county and had your possessions held for ransom by a gang of thug movers before?

Have you ever stored the contents of your one bedroom apartment (including your air conditioner, mountain bike, camping equipment and cds ... but I'm not bitter...)  in a boyfriend's garage only to abandon them after breaking up rather that see the ex again?

Have you ever stored your boxes in your friend's basement and found dehydrated mice inside (who had gotten trapped inside and died) when it was time to unpack?

For the aforementioned reasons (and more), I absolutely loathe moving.  Despite this, I've still managed to have ten different addresses during the past eight years.    Before my last move, I needed to put my belongings in storage and chose City Storage because of all the great reviews on Yelp.

The entire time my items were in storage, I was completely satisfied with the cleanliness, maintenance and safeness of the facility.  My unit was clean when I got it, and it was indoors in a climate-controlled building with plenty of elevators and carts to assist me with my move in as well as out (*which turned out to be handy because the asshat movers that I hired to get me out of the unit actually didn't have jack with them when they came to move me!!!!! losers!!!!).

Anyhoo.... I can wholeheartedly recommend this storage facility to anyone.  Put your mind at ease and rent here!!!

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Photo of Jess R.

Elite '09

44

200

Jess R.

Los Angeles, CA

5 star rating
8/31/2009

I love it here.

I've used City Storage about 4 times now, and I only have incredible experiences here.

It is clean, safe, well lit, and doesn't smell like funk.  They also have water jugs and tootsie rolls in the office.

Using storage is never a fun experience, and moving can sometimes be outright frustrating, but using the services of City Storage has always made the experience as smooth as possible.

I've always loved them, but it wasn't until a recent experience at a different storage facility in the area that made me truly appreciate everything that City Storage has and does...

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Photo of Evan G.

Elite '09

29

262

Evan G.

New York, NY

5 star rating
5/27/2009

I love them.  Alas, my new apartment needs my stuff, so now I can't use them anymore.  But here's my laundry list of loves about City Storage.

When I knew nothing about storage units, they helped me out.

When I left my license there, they held on to it, and were sassy about my getting it back.  Sassy in a good way.

When I parked - PARKED - in the entrance to the parking lot, they gently suggested I park in a different spot.  "Park anywhere.  Except where you are now."  :-)

When I forgot the key to my unit, they were more than accommodating.  (Arrived at the desk with the bolt cutter before I even finished telling my story about how I left the keys at home.)

When I had questions, they answered them and were helpful.  

When I had no idea that I had to sign in upon a return trip to the unit, they nicely suggested I do so.

When I had to use the bathroom, it was there, it was clean, and it had energy-efficient lighting.  LOVE IT!

When I had to store stuff, the unit was amazingly clean and easy to get to.
When I had to get it out, they were open.

When I couldn't be there to escort my moving company into the unit for the move-out, they sent me authorization forms to get it all done from 3,000 miles away.  

Service is second to none, and the people are kind and good-humored.  Love them!

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7

Jazzy G.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
10/23/2009

City Storage is fabulous.  One day my key broke off in the padlock and they happily cut the lock open with wire cutters at no charge.  Come to think of it, they actually gave me the lock free of charge when I signed my contract, too (a kind gesture!).  Storing with them makes the best of a never-fun situation.  It is so damn easy to move things in and out of there, what with the ample dollies and the huge elevators.  And they are really good about prorating the bill.

As posters have said, their only downside is the relatively early closing time on weekdays, but they're good enough to merit the 5 stars anyway.

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1

16

Peter S.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
4/13/2009

To echo what everyone else has said, this is a great place to store your things.  Clean, well-lit, and very safe.

My only complaint is about their hours of operation.  While it's nice that they stay open late on Thursday nights, I would rather they put those extra hours into their weekend times.  For folks that work Monday to Friday, and generally have a crazy day on Saturday, being open on Sunday's from 11 to 4 is just too short a time.

Last time I visited, I asked one of the staff about their busiest days, and he confirmed that weekends are *much* busier than during the week.  Makes sense to me..So why not stay open later on the weekends?  I would even go so far as to suggest they close on Mondays and stay open until 8 on Saturday and Sunday.

Now, in spite of these crazy hours, I still have to give them 5 stars for all the positives of the place.  But I hope they reconsider their schedule!

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Elite '09

270

229

Aimee G.

Orange County, CA

5 star rating
6/22/2008

To all the apartment dwellers of SF:

Do you really need your snowboard in your closet? How about your yearbooks, old love letters, or that blanket that grandma made for you when you were a baby? If you're like me and don't like clutter (but you don't want to throw away those precious treasures) than take them on down to City Storage.

We had a storage unit and wine locker here for several years before we moved to SoCal. City Storage was fantastic across the board - the facilities are spotless and well-maintained, the customer service is excellent, and the prices are reasonable. I highly recommend this place to anyone who needs self-storage - and honestly, in SF, who doesn't?!?

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Photo of Liz O.

 

18

61

Liz O.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
10/1/2008

In the transient urban environment that is San Francisco, sometimes, a storage unit is all you have to call your own.  

I shopped around a few local places and I thought I'd just take the cheapest space I could find.  But then I found City Storage and I realized that if a 4x6 unit was the only place that was truly mine in this crazy world of ours (rental though it may be), it had better live up to a loftier set of ideals.  In short, my storage place needs to be not just a reflection of me, but of my ideal self.

City Storage fits the bill.  Unlike the slob that I truly am, City Storage is neat and clean.  And punctual, too -- opens and closes right on time.  The people that work there are unfailingly pleasant and professional and like I am in my dreams, highly organized.  They are always proffering candy (in my defense, I do that too, sometimes).  If I owned a set of twelve brightly-colored dollys, would they be lined up in absolutely perfect symmetry?  Not likely, but they are here at City Storage.  And like my ideal self, City Storage is always on my way to the gym.

So I'm paying a few bucks more (not that much more, really) to store my stuff in City Storage.  Why?  Because I'm worth it.

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Photo of Brandon B.

Elite '09

64

195

Brandon B.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
11/24/2008

Great storage spot. Possibly the best I've ever seen. Very secure, tons of parking, always heavy duty cars available and absolutely spotless. I mistakenly left this spot early this year and have regretted it.

The guys that work at the front are friendly and accommodating. The only downside is that it isn't cheap, but as I found out, you get what you pay for.

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Photo of m.e. t.

 

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m.e. t.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
12/3/2008

Best storage I have ever had in the city.  I have used them on two occasions while out of the country and between apartments.  

The staff is friendly and helpful.  This place locks down like Fort Knox at night.  No crazy people living in their storage space here.  Easy to drive in and unload your stuff.  Plenty of carts for everyone.  You get what you pay for and if you wanna keep your stuff safe, dry and pest free this is the place.

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2

10

Anya K.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
Updated - 2/26/2009

Ah, the power of yelp. He wrote and apologized. I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.

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1 Previous Review: Show all »

  • 2 star rating
    2/25/2009

    Wow. I have no beef with the facilities - they're clean and new and nice.  
    Prices are reasonable for… Read more »

Photo of Inna V.

 

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Inna V.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
10/2/2007

This past sunday my wonderful stay at city storage ended.

I took advantage of their buy two months get a month free offer and they pro-rated the end of the month for me. 3 1/2 months for less than $300!

The place is clean, the people are really nice, they give me candy when I sign in/out and they even gave me a free lock!

They stay open 8-8 on Thursdays which is awesome.

I highly recommend this place!

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Photo of Eric S.

Elite '09

109

66

Eric S.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
12/20/2007

I'd rather herd cats while poking hot forks into my eyes than move all my worldly possessions again.  But as painful as moving is, I can guarantee that City Storage will be one of the LEAST hot-fork-pokey things you will do.

In my experience, anything associated with the moving industry is a big dodgy: unreliable movers, jalopy UHauls, etc.  But from the moment I arrived at City Storage, things were downright pleasant.  I was greeted by a kindly gentleman who helped me park my truck, then checked me in and offered me water and candy.  Then he showed me to my stuff's new temporary home, and briefed me on the carts, elevators and office hours.  

Everything about the place just feels clean and organized.  Yes, you still have to haul your things into and out of elevators and down hallways.  But doing so at City Storage just felt as easy as it could possibly be.

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Photo of Sean S.

 

13

9

Sean S.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
6/28/2008

I have been using City Storage for a few years now and have nothing but good things to say about them.
Most everyone living in SF doesn't have enough space for all your crap, and this is a great place to put it.
They are clean, friendly, secure and always have mints or tootsie rolls or some other lil bit of candy at the office (at the Potrero one anyhow).

My friends and I keep a bunch of our Burning Man stuff in here, because, well, where the hell else are we going to store a dome and a kitchen and a radio station year round?

I think their prices are comparable to othersas well.
If I had one gripe it would be about their open hours, which can be a bit tough sometimes. However, I do know that is mainly for security reasons, so in the end that is a good thing.

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Photo of Andrea U.

 

67

215

Andrea U.

Los Angeles, CA

5 star rating
8/1/2007

This facility is phenomenal.  I shopped around for a week, looking for a storage unit that was a) actually available and b) affordable enough to rent out for four months, and I'm glad I went with City Storage.  Their warehouse is huge, and although their rates are about $10 more than neighboring facilities, they eliminate half the stress of moving by making the storage process so streamlined and well-organized.  I'm currently renting a clean, secure unit for a good price, especially since I prepaid for the next two months and got the third month FREE.

This place is so good that my plans for this weekend actually include coming back to organize my unit!

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1

6

Kirk H.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
2/16/2009

My first experience with storage facilities in SF and I'm pleased to have recommend friends who've used them too. Very clean, no homeless lingering about or seemingly living here, friendly staff, efficient monthly auto pay program, fair price for value.

I gave 4 stars only because exceptions to normal hours aren't always noted efficiently. Considering how well run this place is, I expect this small but important detail of service. It's inconvenient and frustrating to drive across town to find out they're closed when you arrive.

Update: 2/16/2009, I checked the website and called the office and closed notices didn't exist, but upon refreshing the webpage the notice was clearly posted. Blame it on a cached page or failing eyesight?!#* Still no voicemail message though.

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Photo of Jennifer B.

 

2

18

Jennifer B.

Santa Cruz, CA

5 star rating
3/18/2008

I stored a bunch of crap here for almost 2 years until I relocated out of the country.  Now I'm finally moving home to SF (YAY!) and I'll be using these guys again.

The facility is clean, well lit and secure.  It's convenient and parking is not an issue.  Super friendly staff and reasonably priced.

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Photo of Kelly V.

 

6

44

Kelly V.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
3/26/2009

Have to agree with the masses.  This place is great!  Very clean, respectable storage facility.  I haven't the slightest concern about my prized possessions (pieces of particle board I like to call furniture; but whatever, that's not the point) being stored here.  No worries about moths attacking my winter clothing, or some punk roaming the halls looking to steal, or even my vintage merlot going bad.  Units are clean, well-monitored and secure, and temperature controlled!  Sweet!  Not to mention, the man working that day was very pleasant.  I believe his name was Joe?  He was very friendly and helpful.  I'm also a huge fan of the handy dollies they supply at no extra cost.  We were able to back the moving truck right in so we were just a few steps to the elevator (ok, 30 steps, but close enough!).  The place could use some wider halls so as not to turn my couch into some sort of hands-on math problem involving angles, degrees, etc. but I guess it's a little late for that now...other than that, 5 stars to you, City Storage.

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Photo of Alexandra D.

 

5

63

Alexandra D.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
2/18/2008

10/22/09 edited to downgrade from 5 to 4 stars.

Last month when i got my bill via email, I got somebody else's bill, including their name, address and storage number.  I emailed City Storage to point out this security flaw, and their reaction was somewhat lackadaisical.  They apologized but really showed no significant alarm at sending customers' private addresses to each other.  Another reason to downgrade them is that the fire retardant they spray on the overhead beams is very fine and powdery, and it trickles down onto my stored items.  I have a rack of clothes in there and it has white powder all over it.  I mentioned it to the manager who told me he guessed I would have to move out.  Er, thanks for caring?

Original review:  I was desperate for storage...and a friend who deals in antique furniture said, "Nah, don't rent from one of those commercial places, they're too expensive.  Try to get a private garage in the Mission or somewhere."  So...I scoured craigslist for months until I found this disgusting but huge space in the Western addition.  It was like 16' x 20' for $125 a month!  He had me fill out a massive application (including social security number, bank account numbers, references, driver's license, etc).  BUT... I had to go down a side alley of this duplex, and the tenants (USF students and their boyfriends) had dumped a mattress and box spring out there...and a skanky old office chair, beaten up turntable, miscellaneous crap, and the garbage bins...and there was garbage all over.  They said the homeless people go through their garbage.  But when I went down the LOCKED side alley, I found more garbage in the back yard, broken glass in the alley, a 32 oz beer bottle on the floor.  Yuck.  My space smelled musty, the landlord insisted on keeping an old boiler in there, plus some ladders and doors, they had busted through the ceiling to hook up the new boiler and hadn't bothered to patch it, so it was old wooden slats and a big hole in the stucco...it was REALLY dusty, dust everywhere...and water was leaking onto the floor.  After 24 hours I realized I had made a horrible mistake, and I begged the landlord to let me break the lease and just keep my $250 (first and last).  He said he'd put another ad on craigslist.  Six days later the ad (for $150 this time, not $125) was gone, so I assume he rented it.  So, he's going to make an additional $300 in rent in the next 12 months over what he was going to charge me, AND he gets to keep my $250.  Legally he's not entitled to do that but (a) I did offer and (b) I'm soooo glad to be out of there.

So...I decided to bite the bullet and rent a commercial space.  I looked on yelp, and this place had the best reviews so I called and spoke to a guy who said they had a 8' x 12' space for $190 a month, and he'd hold it for me - FOR A WEEK!  

I went down the next day to see it and I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  This place was constructed to be a storage facility, and everything was well-designed.  They have a huge parking lot you can just drive into.  They have dollies you can use to move your stuff.  There are two HUGE 6,000 pound freight elevators. There's a little lobby where you can sit.  The bathrooms are right next to the elevator and the lobby, and they're immaculately clean and spacious.  The floors are cement and the ceilings are covered in cement so the place is virtually fireproof.  There are sprinklers in every unit.  There are motion-activated lights in the hallways AND in the spaces so your space is always well-lit.  My space is soooo clean!  I actually put some of my clothing on the floor, which I would NEVER do in an older space.

There's no hassle when you sign up.  No social security number, credit report, references, NOTHING.  They just take a picture of your driver's license, you pay for the current month (and the next two months if you want the free month), they give you a free lock, charge you a $10 admin fee, and you go put your stuff in right then!

If you pay for two months up front they'll give you the third month free.  But it has to be two FULL CALENDAR months.  So if, like me, you sign up on the 8th of Month X, you'll have to pay for Month X, X+1 and X+2 in full, in order to get Month X+3 for free.  If you're just signing up for a "buy two get one free" deal, that's something to keep in mind.  But I have a feeling I'll be renting here for a loooong time.

I live in the Marina so I just drive down the Embarcadero, which becomes King Street, then I make a left on 3rd and a right on Mariposa, and a left on Indiana, and there I am!  It's a really pretty, scenic drive.

Anyway, each time I visit this place I just get happy all over again that I get to keep my stuff in such a nice facility.  Sure, it's not as cheap as some garage, but it's more secure, and you're not going to get evicted by some landlord who decides he needs the space.

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Photo of Drew M.

 

3

16

Drew M.

Seattle, WA

5 star rating
10/16/2007

Modern, clean and reasonably priced (especially with the one free month offer I got for two months). Always very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend.

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Photo of Neil K.

 

330

131

Neil K.

San Francisco, CA

4 star rating
1/27/2006

Located in an industrial area near Potrero Hill, this relatively new storage facility is clean and modern. In addition, they have temperature controlled units for those who want to store delicate items such as wine. My only complaint is they close relatively early in the evening. There is also a 2nd location in SOMA.

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Photo of Don't Y.

 

0

16

Don't Y.

Los Angeles, CA

5 star rating
3/20/2007

Best self storage experience of all time!!!  Friendly staff, super clean, reasonable prices, 3 month discount, plenty of carts and bins, huge elevators, ample parking...  They reserved a unit for me free of charge and the move in process was painless...  Thanks Tim, Paul and Sean....

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Photo of Matthew G.

 

7

5

Matthew G.

Los Angeles, CA

5 star rating
7/10/2007

Finally a storage facility with nothing to hide. Straight up month to month and if you move out mid month they give you the rest of the month that you paid for back. WHAT STORAGE PLACE DOES THAT? This place is UBER clean and So secure. Parking is inside the facility and they give you everything you need to move your stuff around. They also work with the most professional and competent moving company I have ever used in my life ONE BIG MAN & ONE BIG TRUCK Moving company. They knew the facility so well and had my stuff moved into my unit by the time I finished my paperwork. This is truly the top drawer when talking about moving & storage.

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Photo of Sue E.

 

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2

Sue E.

San Francisco, CA

3 star rating
2/4/2009

The storage was perfectly fine. Clean, and lots of moving equipment, parking, etc. My only complaint is that when I moved out mid-month and they said they would refund the remaining amount I, had to call 5 times to get them to send me a check. It was a small amount of money, so I guess that's why they kept ignorning me, hoping I would just go away.  But unfortunately, I tend to be one of those people who won't let go of $50 that easily. So, just make sure you stay on top of the refund and then everything should be fine.

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Photo of Cort Z.

 

22

84

Cort Z.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
9/28/2007

Wow!!! This place is CLEEEAAANNN!!!  The facilities look brand new, the elevators are hi-tech and the front desk guy that helped me was awesome!  The units are reasonable and very well kept.  Since they got these awesome yelp reviews they are filling up fast though.  They said in the summer time 2940 units out of their 3000 were filled mostly due to Yelp!  Word...  I'm definitely comfortable having my stuff kept here...  Oh and so are a bunch of rich wine connoisseurs who keep their expensive wine in temp controlled storage facilities :)

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Photo of Stuart J.

 

31

127

Stuart J.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
1/5/2006

Very new, clean and spacious, extremely friendly service, what an utter relief after years of dealing with U-know-where. Quite possibly the cheapest place in town, with great deals if you pre-pay for 3 months, including discounts on truck rental.

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106

.q q.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
8/22/2007

Only thing not great about this place is their hours.  Mon-Sat 8-6, Sunday 11-4.  When I want to get something, they're already closed, but at least if they're closed, there's no hobo stealing my stuff!  The place is a fortress, the staff is nice and super mellow, easy parking, easy truck loading, tons of dollies and carts, giant elevators, clean, and my favorite: cheap.  They have some cyclical special of pay 2 months at a time, get one free, so I basically pay $44/month for 4'x4'x8'.

To give yelp some credit, I searched all the other storage places in the cheap and convenient spectrum and this was the only one that didn't have people claiming the owners robbed them, in fact  there were no reviews yet, so I figured not knowing something if bad would happen is better than knowing it certainly would and I couldn't be happier.

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Photo of Ivan V.

 

5

5

Ivan V.

San Francisco, CA

5 star rating
7/10/2007

Wow, talk about a great storage facility. I am so glad that http://Yelp.com helped me research and find this storage facility.  I was looking for a convenient, clean, and most important, a secure facility where I could store my belongings while searching for a more permanent dwelling. This place offers great month to month agreements, which is ideal for me while in transition. The staff is awesome, very friendly and knowledgeable. They also offer temperature-controlled storage facilities for those that collect expensive wines. Not for me, but at least  I feel that it caters to a more knowledgeable clientele. I feel my extensive library of monographs and my art collection is safe while I am in transition.  If you are looking for safe, clean, secure storage, you need to visit City Storage before you commit to any other storage facility.

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