For Tabb Buel, the pandemic was a blessing. A mechanical engineer with product development experience, the work-from-home situation enabled Buel to revisit a product idea he'd patented, but never developed, some 20 years ago: A simple way to reclaim garage space, long since sacrificed for family demands. "I had lost my workspace to the numerous sets of sports equipment and bikes for the entire family," Buel writes.

Buel's design is called The Lift. It consists of a trolley, incorporating a standard 2-inch hitch receiver, that rides up and down on a wall-mounted track, powered by a 120-volt motor with an electronic brake.

Here it is in operation:

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It's up on Kickstarter, and at press time had $14,123 in pledges on a $20,000 goal, with 26 days left to pledge. It comes in four different heights to accommodate most garages--8, 9, 10 and 12 feet--and all are the same $500 price.