This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what’s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer’s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to David, customer of our CubeSmart store in Washington D.C., for sharing his story with us.
When he’s not helping clients with their tax preparation or working on IT freelance gigs, David Barnes is usually playing Final Fantasy 15. On a mild December day, he’s sitting outside of CubeSmart’s Upshur Street location in Washington D.C., where he stores the items—computers, stereo equipment, artwork—that he can no longer keep in his sister’s basement.
“I’m always playing this game. Every chance I get,” he says.
His CubeSmart facility is also close to the library where he uses the internet, both for the game and for work. Both David and his brother became accountants at a young age.
“My mother was an accountant. When I was 18 years old and she was unwell and could no longer continue doing it, I started taking over the business. I have about 30 steady clients, some of whom are now my friends.”
A lifelong fan of Dean Koontz novels and Star Wars films, David has always been interested in what the future holds, and how technology can simplify living. The stories, he says, “stimulate the imagination.”
“If you look at any science fiction story, you see that they predicted a lot of the advancements we have, like flip phones and flat-screen TVs.”
David got his first computer when he was 22, a very early desktop model from Radio Shack. Since then they’ve been an important part of his life.
“It immediately made doing taxes so much easier—I’d been making several copies by hand and this sped up the work and saved me a lot of time, which helped my business grow,” he says.
Most recently, of course, he uses his smartphone for the online multiplayer roleplaying game. He’s met people from all over the world and now has friends in France and Indonesia in his “guild.”
“It’s basically a war game and we’re trying to protect citadels, farms, barracks, hospitals. We communicate through private messaging while we play. I find the best players are women—they tend to run the best guilds. I am happy to work on tactics, which is my strong suit, but I don’t want to run a whole guild.”
David has stopped staying up late at night to play but he does admit to looking at his phone if he happens to wake up. And he always makes sure he has a wi-fi access wherever he goes in case there’s a battle online.
“These days I only take the bus. If I take the train I can’t get a signal.”
We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.
