You can never tell what you might be able to find in a storage unit. People have found cash. They’ve found presents. Some have even found dead bodies. But one of the most unique things that has been found inside of a storage unit is the marquee sign from the famed LA nightclub, Whisky A Go Go.
Whiskey A Go Go is a historic music venue in Los Angeles. The very first Whisky A Go Go opened in Chicago in 1958. The term ‘A Gogo’ is French, and it means ‘In abundance’ or ‘galore.’
On January 16, 1964, the LA version of Whisky A Go Go opened on LA’s Sunset Strip. Throughout its history, the club would play host to a variety of legendary musical acts, such as Van Halen, Steppenwolf, Oasis, KISS, Fleetwood Mac, Guns ‘N Roses, The Doors, and many, many more.
To say The Whisky (to which it is sometimes lovingly referred) is historical would be a vast understatement.
This is why anything from the club’s original building would be a high dollar in this day and age.
Such was the case in 2017 when a piece of the music venue’s rich history was found locked in a storage unit in Maine, of all places.
According to LAist, a 13-foot historic neon sign was sold at an auction in Biddeford, Maine, for $48,300.
KPCC, a local news station in Los Angeles, said that the sign adorned the front of the club throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s before it was replaced. Somehow, the sign ended up in a storage unit in Biddeford, Maine. It was either forgotten about or abandoned because, eventually, it was sold during a storage unit auction.
“Whoever bought it originally put it in storage with the intent of using it and never did, and then never paid their storage fees for a couple of years, or some time frame, and lost it,” auctioneer Troy Thibodeau told LAist. “We’re in the business of selling stuff, and some stuff is exciting and some stuff not so much. This was extremely exciting because it’s a piece of rock ‘n’ roll history.”
And that’s why it sold for so much. Evidently, the sign had been sold before, at a previous auction in New York City in 2012. How it went from LA to New York, to Maine remains to be seen, but it just goes to show the treasures that can be found in storage units.
And that’s why K&L Storage offers storage unit auctions frequently throughout the year.
A storage auction is the only way that a self-storage facility can legally clear a unit in order to be able to rent it again. When a unit remains unpaid for a period of time, and multiple contact attempts have failed, facilities begin the process of placing a unit in lien. K&L Storage follows a very strict process dictated by state law that includes registered mail and public postings.
To find out more about our auctions, including when they’re happening, you can click here to join our Email list. You may or may not find neon signs from music clubs of yesteryear, but you will, more than likely, find something worthwhile.
To find out more about K&L Storage, visit our website or call us at 307-265-1291.
