Mike Braiotta From Storage Wars New York

That's cool. I know when they were casting in Texas they put ads up everywhere. They probably got a lot of responses from people that just wanted to be on TV. I'm glad to see that they took the initiative to seek out people that are real players in the business.

So, I think I heard you mention on the show that you have kids?

Yea wife and 3 kids. They are the reason I am out there hustling my @ss off everyday. I had a pretty rough up bringing so I promised myself that if I ever had the chance to be a father I would give it my all.

Yeah, same here. Just 1 kid though. The good thing about buying storage units is there is a never ending supply of free toys, clothes and other things they need.

Since the show came out, has there been an increase in attendance at NY auctions?

Do you think that being on the show has increased your intimidation factor or has it just made you more of a target for people trying to bid you up?

Auction crowds have pretty much stayed the same. All the regulars that have seen me for years know what I'm about. Honestly not much has changed.

So what's your buddy's name with all the muscles? How long have you been friends with him? They kind of make him out to look like he's all brawn and no brains on the show. Is that just for entertainment?

No that's for real. Dumb as a rock. He is my wife's first cousin.

I asked this question in the beginning of the thread and I wasn't sure if you didn't want to talk about it or if you just didn't see it, so I'll ask again.

So what's up with the new clothing line? Was that something you wanted to do or did someone approach you with the idea?

If you want to, add a link to your website in your signature so that people can check out your apparel and the other merchandise you have for sale. This way every time you post people will see the link and click on it.

I've got a question Mike. What do you do with all of those old mattresses and old TVs?

Mattresses are my worst enemy!!! I hate them but unfortunately I seem to run in to them all the time. Usually if they are half way decent I usually give them away to people who need them. The big old TV's I have a ton of fun with. Take a hammer and hit it dead center and watch out! Major explosion!!!! Always fun.....

Nothing wrong with a little fun. I was just being curious how they might be disposed of on a volume basis. I remember reading on here a while back how this one guy breaks down mattresses, uses the wood for kindling and throws the springs in the metal recycle bin. Seem like a bit of work to me, but I guess it's better to make money off something instead of paying to dispose of it.

I think I've only thrown away a few mattresses in my career. They sell like hot cakes on Craigslist. Even if they're a little sketchy, people will still buy them if the price is right. 

So Mike, we see some of the other buyers taking a cab or riding the subway to auctions...are there really buyers that do that? It's got to be inconvenient and expensive especially when there are several storage facilities having an auction back to back.

Believe it or not they do take public transport. It is way cheaper than paying for parking in the city. Even in front of these storage places you can not park a non commercial vehicle to load or unload. I learned that lesson way to many times. The fines are no joke.

So how do you load your merchandise? Park down the street and push everything on a cart? Or just use a commercial vehicle?

I mean it all depends on the facility. Some do have drive in bays that you can use to load and unload. Maybe 4 spots for an entire building. If there is no drive in you pretty much have to use the cart system down the block. These are all the different kinds of things that play through when buying auctions in NYC. Believe me you think twice about buying a 10X20 on the 8th floor of a building with no loading dock. Plays a big part in the labor cost of unloading the room.

Yeah, I can see how that would effect the bidding.