Business Trips, Buried Treasure, and a Whole Lotta Junk

To start things off, I didn’t have my work truck, so it was back to carpooling with Levi (felt like being in 2nd grade again lol). We made it work, but it definitely took a lot more planning. I did learn a lot about timing and organization though, so I’ll call that a win.

Exploring the Factory

My friend and I found this old factory we wanted to explore. We went out there, got some dope photos, didn’t break any laws or anything, just walked around and took it all in. The place was wild, super eerie but awesome, and easily a 10/10 photo spot.

Nasty Alcoholic Full House Cleanout + Gold Find

So I got this job from a property manager I work with, and wow, this house was disgusting. I honestly didn’t think we’d find anything cool.

But in the very back corner, I kept finding boxes of shoes that were still brand new. I started loading them into the truck since I could probably sell or donate them. Levi went to toss out the last box, but I got this gut feeling like, “Wait, maybe check that one.”

The box was a little different. We opened it and found five bags of silver coins, plus a ring and a pendant. I just froze. “BRO! THERE’S NO WAY!”

We sold the silver and gold and ended up making $1,700 total $850 each. Absolutely insane money for a couple of teens who almost threw it away. Definitely glad I trusted my gut that day.

The Business Trip to New York City

The next day after the gold find, we had our first ever Tri Cities Junk Pros business trip!

My dad’s friend Joanna lives in NYC and needed to get rid of some junk. My dad mentioned that I had a junk removal business, and she was like, “Perfect, send him!” Next thing you know, my dad, Levi, and I are on a plane to New York.

The first day was chill, Joanna got us authentic NYC bagels (literal peak). Then we did some light work around her place. That night, we went out to Times Square.

I’d only been to New York once before when I was like 12, but seeing Levi’s face light up when we came out of the subway station was awesome. Dude’s only ever been to Pigeon Forge 😃☝️.

I just love New York, the energy, the people, the chaos. My favorite part was definitely the business district. I’ve always loved skyscrapers and being surrounded by huge buildings, so that was super cool.

Full House Cleanout: “The Temu Hoarder”

A few days after we got back from New York, I worked another full house cleanout. The guy’s name was Colby, and his dad (Who passed) had apparently been addicted to Temu and all those cheap online stores.

As we started cleaning, I found at least 20 different knives, swords, and random stuff some of it… questionable 😬. I’ve learned that houses full of loose items take twice as long as they look. Half your time is just spent bagging up random junk. Lesson learned.

I Got My Motorcycle License!

This was a big personal goal of mine. Nobody talked me into it. I just wanted to do it. I’ve got a dream to take a long motorcycle trip one day with my dad and brother (when he’s back), so this was the first step.

I took the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course and learned on a 350cc Harley. My coach, Steve, was awesome, and the class itself was actually super fun. Definitely a highlight of the month!

Wrapping Up

So yeah, that’s October. Easily one of the most stressful months I’ve ever had. Between losing the work truck, Hitting a few wall (Mentally) crazy jobs, hidden treasure, a business trip, and finally getting my motorcycle license it’s been a ride.

Junk Pros has started slowing down a bit (it’s already snowing), and I’m not totally sure what travel plans look like yet. But we’ll see what happens!

Thanks for reading, y’all and yeah, I put this one out a little late again. But hey, at least I’m consistently late 😅✌️

—Michael