Storage units have become a common setting in popular culture. From storing Walter White’s drug money stash in the hit show “Breaking Bad” to housing dead bodies in Netflix’s new zombie comedy “Santa Clarita Diet,” people are fascinated by how renters use storage facilities and what they put inside them.
A&E has capitalized on this curiosity with a show called “Storage Wars” set in California featuring auctions of storage units’ contents after owners have defaulted on their payments. The buyers’ goal is to turn a profit on the items they find.
Indiana has similar laws according to LeeAnne Maxwell, property manager for Store-N-Lock. Although, she notes Evansville’s storage unit scene isn’t quite Hollywood ready.
“There’s a big difference between California units and Indiana units,” says Maxwell. “I found a front-load washer and dryer with the tags still on it. I thought that was really cool. Usually it’s household items.”
This doesn’t mean storage unit customers aren’t finding creative ways to use their rented space. Maxwell says a big trend at Store-N-Lock is for local entrepreneurs to use the space as a front for their business.
“That allows them to be out running their business,” says Maxwell.
Store-N-Lock, which started with their Lincoln and N. Green River Road locations in the spring of 2011, now has five locally owned and operated facilities.
“Our owners are not in another city, not in another state,” says Maxwell. “They are right here and actively involved in our local community.”
Along with their traditional storage units, Store-N-Lock also provides parking for vehicles like cars, campers, and RVs. They also donated a space for the Special Olympics’ food truck and other community impact projects.
Maxwell says what they really pride themselves on, however, is the consideration for their customers’ needs. All of their facilities are open 24 hours with access to drop boxes at each location.
“We have a large manufacturing community that can’t come from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so I think that’s important,” says Maxwell. “Our customers are our family.”
For more information about Store-N-Lock, call 812-473-0504 or visit store-n-lock.net.
