For most teenagers, an abandoned storage locker filled with someone else's forgotten belongings might look like a room full of junk. For Michael Haskell, it looked like an opportunity. The New Jersey teenager began buying abandoned storage units while still in high school, sorting through everything from furniture and books to artwork and collectables before reselling valuable finds. What started as an experiment has since grown into a serious business. According to CNBC Make It, Haskell's storage-unit flipping operation brought in roughly $135,000 over the past year. Other reports indicate that his overall ventures have now generated more than $200,000. And one extraordinary $450 purchase helped convince his family that his unusual side hustle was more than just a hobby.The craze began with a reality TV showHaskell's fascination with reselling started before storage lockers entered the picture. His mother, Anna Haskell, told The New York Times that he had previously bought books at fairs and resold them. He later researched Lego sets that were going out of production, purchasing them in the hope that their value would rise. Then he discovered the reality television show Storage Wars.The idea was straightforward: when storage renters stop paying, the contents of qualifying units can eventually be sold through lien auctions. Buyers typically bid without getting the opportunity to properly search through everything first, making every locker a calculated gamble. Haskell's first unit reportedly cost just $10. He made a profit and kept going. By March 2026, The New York Times reported that he was making more than $7,000 per month through his eBay store.A $450 locker delivered his biggest surpriseOne Brooklyn storage unit changed the scale of Haskell's operation. He paid $450 for a locker that had belonged to controversial New York art dealer Andrew Crispo. Inside, Haskell discovered artwork connected to major names, including Man Ray and Walt Kuhn. The pieces were eventually handled by auction house Bonhams and sold for nearly $50,000, according to The New York Times. Haskell invested proceeds from the sale in the S&P 500 with help from his mother. But not every unit contains hidden artwork. Some yield little more than unwanted furniture, old electronics or objects that are difficult to sell.Technology helped him decide where to bidHaskell has also brought modern technology into a business built around discarded possessions. The teenager has used Google Lens to help identify objects and estimate their potential value. He also developed a ChatGPT-assisted system that scans information connected to storage auctions and helps identify units that may have belonged to notable people.Despite the treasure-hunt appeal, storage-unit flipping involves substantial work. Buyers must transport, catalogue, store, list and sell potentially hundreds of objects, while disposing of items nobody wants. Industry guidance also warns that buyer fees, transport, labour, disposal costs and unsold inventory can quickly eat into apparent profits.Not everything Haskell discovers gets sold. In one locker, he found a Purple Heart military medal. Although such medals have a resale market, Haskell decided against selling it and instead attempted to locate the original owner's family. His interest in abandoned possessions also led to something bigger. Haskell founded Storage Angels, an initiative that clears unwanted lockers and redirects useful belongings to charities. Points of Light reported in February that the organisation had cleared more than 20 lockers, donated an estimated $20,000 worth of furniture and household goods, and given away around 700 pounds of gently used clothing.Storage units are becoming an unlikely side-hustle hubHaskell's success is exceptional, but the broader connection between storage units and side hustles is growing. A 2026 SpareFoot survey found that 28% of surveyed storage renters used their units to support side hustles, generating an average of $646 per month. Among Gen Z renters, 31% reported using storage space for such work. Haskell's story, however, is about more than stumbling upon valuable objects. Behind the impressive revenue are hours spent researching, bidding, hauling, identifying and selling other people's forgotten possessions. For the teenager who started with a tiny bid, the locked doors of abandoned storage units have become both a business opportunity and an unexpected education in entrepreneurship with no guarantee of what will be waiting on the other side.
