A 17-year-old from New Jersey, US, has turned a hobby inspired by the TV show Storage Hunters into a lucrative business, earning around $7,000 (£5,000) a month from buying and selling the contents of abandoned storage lockers.
Michael Haskell developed a computer program using ChatGPT to identify units that may have belonged to noteworthy individuals. His biggest find was a storage unit in Brooklyn owned by disgraced New York art dealer Andrew Crispo, which he purchased for $450 (£330). Inside, he discovered artworks including a painting by surrealist pioneer Man Ray and drawings by Walt Kuhn, selling them for a total of $50,000 (£37,000).
Michael's mother, Anna, said he has always had an entrepreneurial spirit, starting with buying and reselling books and LEGO sets. He now runs an eBay store, Mike's Unique Treasures, where he sells most of his discoveries. Michael noted that the stories behind the lockers can be tragic, often reflecting the financial struggles of their former owners.
The locker belonging to Andrew Crispo, who died penniless in a Brooklyn nursing facility in 2024, is a stark example. Crispo was once a noted art dealer but was jailed for tax evasion and threatening to kidnap a child. Michael reflected: 'His life seems like a lesson in how not to live your life.'
