Noticias
Jul 24, 2025, 16:50
Space has become one of the most undervalued commodities in today’s urbanizing world. As cities swell and apartments shrink, individuals and businesses are left scrambling to find practical solutions for their growing storage needs. From remote workers juggling home-office setups to entrepreneurs managing product inventory in tight rooms, the demand for flexible, secure, and nearby storage is skyrocketing.
As cited by First Research, the self-storage market is projected to reach over $70 billion by 2028, driven by shifting work habits, urban living, and e-commerce growth. Yet in Latin America, the concept is still emerging—and ripe for disruption. What if people could access extra space as easily as ordering a coffee? What if storage weren’t an inconvenient warehouse on the edge of town, but part of your neighborhood ecosystem?
This vision drives Arie Rezepka, Founder and CEO of Akikb Minibodegas, a trailblazing self-storage company based in Chile. With a mission to make space more accessible and stress-free, Arie has transformed a personal pain point into a fast-growing network of neighborhood self storage that serve over 8,000 customers monthly. His model isn’t just solving a logistical problem—it’s changing the way people live and work in urban environments.
So, how did Arie go from solving his own moving dilemma to becoming one of Latin America’s most innovative business leaders? Let’s explore his journey, the strategy behind Akikb’s meteoric rise, and how his vision is reshaping the future of urban living—one square meter at a time.
The Genesis of a Game-Changing Idea
Arie Rezepka’s entry into the self-storage industry wasn’t born from a textbook or market study—it was born from firsthand experience. “The idea came from a personal need I encountered while moving to a smaller home. I realized that there were very few flexible and secure storage options nearby. That sparked the question: What if we could bring storage closer to where people actually live and work?” he recalls.
From that simple yet profound realization, Akikb Minibodegas was born. Unlike traditional storage providers located in industrial zones, Akikb embraced a decentralized model that prioritized proximity, accessibility, and community integration. “Our goal from day one was to make storage accessible to everyone, everywhere,” Arie Rezepka says. “That meant designing a network of self-storage facilities distributed throughout cities, not on the outskirts.”
