Toilets and THC in the storage biz

I like boring businesses and boring side hustles. One of my boring side hustles is renting storage units.

Owning a storage unit might seem like the ultimate in boring business ventures. You rent out units, people store their stuff, and the most excitement you expect is the occasional mix-up over a padlock. But as I recently discovered, even the most mundane businesses can have their moments of sheer absurdity.

It all started with a string of complaints from nearby residents. Now, complaints aren’t uncommon, but these were... special.

My tenant had taken to using the nearby forest as his personal bathroom. To make matters worse, the storage facility manager reported finding trails of used toilet paper crisscrossing the woods like some kind of misguided breadcrumb trail.

At first, I thought it maybe a one-time emergency situation. But as the complaints kept rolling in, it became clear that this was a regular occurrence. My storage manager, a practical and meticulous person, had even documented the "tracks" left by the nature-loving tenant. Nothing says "fun job" quite like tracing paths of toilet paper through the underbrush.

Clearly, something had to be done. I decided to evict the tenant, but just as I was gearing up for that delightful conversation, I got an unexpected call from the cops. It seemed that during a routine fire safety inspection, our tenant's unit had caught the facility manager's attention - not for its fire hazards, but for its unusual contents.

The police discovered a cannabis farm inside the storage unit. And not just a couple of plants - this was a full-blown operation, like a Walter White lite. There were grow lights, fans, and a series of potted plants that had no business being there. The best part? The tenant had left his passport on the floor of the storage unit, right next to his budding crop. It’s as if he wanted to make sure there was no doubt about whose cannabis farm it was.

I can only imagine the police officers’ expressions: a mix of disbelief and amusement at the sheer audacity of it all. Here was a man growing an illegal substance in a rented storage unit, and he had thoughtfully provided his identification right there for them.

Faced with the dual issues of public defecation and illegal gardening, I decided it was high time this tenant found a new place to store his belongings - and perhaps his creative outlets. This whole debacle was a reminder that even the most mundane businesses can sometimes serve as the stage for the most unexpected dramas.

People often think that boring businesses are just that - boring. But the truth is, they can be both good businesses and also great stories to entertain your friends with. So, the next time you think of storage units as merely a place for old furniture and forgotten holiday decorations, remember this story. There's always a side hustle waiting to turn your day from monotonous to memorable.