Advance Storage Lenders provides short-term loans to self-storage tenants who default on payments due to financial hardship, allowing them to retain their possessions. The company estimates it can help nearly 600,000 clients annually who abandon $4.5 million in storage lockers, generating $3 million in loans and $1.5 million in annual profit. It plans to franchise the model and open its first two locations in Southern California by January 2015.