Mike Moore: Treasures lost and found

By Mike Moore

Sunday, May 2, 2004 11:00 PM CDT

Two things always show up in abandoned storage lockers: a Bible and adult play things.

That's what I learned last week when I stopped by The Stow-Away on Grange Avenue in Racine, where the contents of several lockers were being auctioned off. So-and-so didn't pay their rent for three or four months, so the locker company recovers what it can by selling the stuff.

I wanted to see what kinds of things people leave behind. Old Testaments and old copies of "Playboy" weren't exactly the mix I was expecting.

"In the same locker?" I asked some of the regulars.

They nodded their heads. I suppose that says something about people, but I'm not sure I want to know what. Beyond that, anything could be behind those sliding doors. All it takes is the highest bid to find out. None of it surprises 41-year-old Kelvin Ratliff anymore.

"I've found hypodermic needles that I've had to get rid of," he said.

He's really after a more figurative needle, the hidden gem in a haystack full of junk. On his days off he goes in search of items he can re-sell on eBay. Others come with more specific wish lists, like guitars or camping equipment.

Within seconds, storage units changed hands. One family's photos of a Florida vacation, probably meant to pass down through the generations, are now destined for the incinerator. So are years worth of tax records, pay stubs and utility bills. Makes you wonder who sewed the colorful fabric that covered the Easter baskets and trivets that got stacked on a shelf and forgotten. What little student-play costumes were made with the sewing patterns that line the tubs and boxes? Ratliff said he's been close to losing his stuff during rough times, so he feels bad for the people. At first he and his pals would pull out sentimental items and try to contact the owners to give them back. There's usually a bill with an address on it to help track them down. But the people wouldn't see it as a kind gesture. They just wanted their stuff back and viewed whoever had it as the enemy. So now the auction buyers just toss it.

All of those memories lost, over a few hundred bucks. Sounds cold, but Stow-Away manager Melissa Hermes said the storage facility would much rather work out a payment plan with the renter. The auctions generally cover only about 20 percent of what's owed.

"Any money from them is better than 20 cents on the dollar from a complete stranger," she said.

Hermes flew up from the company's base in Kentucky just to play auctioneer. As auctions go, this one was pretty efficient. A brisk walk to each unit, then a quick look at the inventory inside - "That's far enough," Hermes told one guy who started to creep toward the back - and the bidding was on. Depending on the size of the locker, $35 to $135 earned the sharks the right to tear into their prey.

Uncertainty is part of the fun. Somewhere in that 10-by-20-foot space lurks something interesting. Dave Smith, 30, made his first locker auction purchase.

"Man finds every lost Tupperware lid known to man," he imagined the headline reading after opening one bin.

Welcome to the club, Dave. Another first-timer, 33-year-old Helena Phillips, tried on a new skill by haggling her way into a tent.

"I don't bargain much," she said. "I'm the boss of the house."

A couple of the guys were cool enough to let me rifle through their stash. That's the social part of the locker auction experience. Sure enough, they found a Bible - an audio version. Nobody found any sex toys; a few leg-shaped candy molds were the closest thing. The constants: Every unit had a fake Christmas tree and some bad furniture.

That brought back memories. When I first moved into my apartment here in Racine, I furnished my living room for $11 at one of those auctions. Got my money's worth, too.

Mike Moore is the associate editor of The Journal Times. He can be reached at (262) 631-1724 or by e-mail at: mmoore@journaltimes.com

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