One Man’s Trash is Another’s Treasure

We perform a wide variety of services for our commercial clients. One of our largest commercial accounts is a national bank with about a 150 sites around Western Washington. Our services for them range from any type of structural repair, maintenance of the facility, cosmetic upgrades, or anything else that the facility manager requests.

On occasion, a bank branch will ask for assistance in removing accumulated items from a basement or a storage room. These items no longer being used by the branch are to be donated (if possible), find a home for reuse or if needed dispose of properly. Our team performs this “clean-out” task several times a year and at many different branches. Most of the items are outdated equipment like old office furniture or outdate holiday decorations. However, every once in a while, we are asked to remove an old “day safe”. These are smaller, outdated safes about the size of a file cabinet and heavier than just about anything – four guys to move one around. The first time we were asked to remove a “day safe”, I decided to list it on Craigslist. It was old, but in good shape and it came with keys. To my total surprise there was an overwhelming response to the listing for the safe! I guess everyone could use a safe to lock up small valuable items. I somewhat had this right, everyone could use a safe, but it was a very specific group of individuals that were looking to acquire the “day safe” that I had listed. The time in history was early 2013 and here in Washington State in 2012 marijuana had just become legal to consume and sell. It was owners of “Pot Shops” that were in need of a (very reasonably priced) “day safe”. Little did I know that marijuana was legal in the state, but federally it was still illegal, therefore banks would not accept the money/cash produced from the purchase and sale of marijuana. Pot Shop owners were looking for safes for their establishments in which to keep the daily profits. How ironic, a bank would not do business with a Pot Shop, but an old “day safe” from a bank was now going to a Pot Shop for the safe keeping of the cash.

Your commercial facility may not be a nationwide bank that needs help clearing out storage areas, or you may not be the local Pot Shop that needs a “day safe”, but whatever your facility is, we are here to help you maintain your property. New builds, tenant improvement, re-branding, general maintenance – whatever your need, our team of highly skilled professionals are here to help.

Let us know how we can be of service to you. Until the next crazy story in the Adventures at Wheeler Painting and Restoration Services, be well and do good.