Walter Hindman is an accidental entrepreneur.
The 23-year-old Auburn University graduate didn’t always want to be in the junk-removal business, but now that his junk drop company is ready, he’s loving his work. I’m at work.
Business works on two levels. Customers pay their own teams to remove unwanted items from their homes and businesses. Junkdrop then delivers the usable items to those in need.
“Connecting too much with not enough,” is Hindman’s view.
The pick-up part is similar to other junk removal companies that you can pay to remove items you no longer need. We work with re-housing programs and Catholic charities, and customers need many of the items removed from their homes.
The partners also identified other individuals in need, including a multigenerational immigrant family living in an unfurnished Antioch home. Their deliveries included mattresses, dressers, chairs and kitchen utensils. rice field.
Junk Drop’s motto is “declutter and feel good”.
“Whether it’s clothing, furniture, construction materials or electronics, we’re committed to bringing reusable materials to those who need them most,” said Hindman. Said.
He notes that while other junk-removal companies donate some items to nonprofits like Goodwill, “the difference is that we don’t just bring it in, we donate it to people who need it.” Bring it in person and set it up.”
How it started
Hindman graduated from Auburn University with a degree in finance this spring and left for New York. But when coronavirus hit, his big Wall Street job with Cuttone & Co. fell through, and he returned to Nashville unresolved.
While weighing his options, Hindman recalled the sticker shock he experienced while trying to clean up his Auburn apartment. The quote he got from the junk removal service was “absurdly high,” after which the idea clicked with him to proceed with the junk removal.
“I thought the industry needed money,” he said. “And I started doing some research.
“It turns out to be a broken industry where there are so many reusable items that people who need them can go to the dumpster instead,” Hindman said. , confirmed the high price of basic removal.
So he and Shepardson started a company that would provide services cheaper than the existing company, and set up the company in a deliberately philanthropic way.
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Junkdrop’s services range from picking up single items such as sofas, pianos, appliances, mattresses, and other furniture, to cleaning entire garages and basements, picking up garage sale leftovers, and handling eviction cleanups.
Items that are not considered reusable are sent to landfills, while trucks of other items can find new homes through non-commercial referrals.
“We’ve found that a lot of what people throw away can be reused,” he said.
Partnering with Oasis
A graduate of Nashville’s University School, Hindman was familiar with the Oasis Center after volunteering for the Oasis Center’s bike workshop program in high school.
So when he learned about Oasis’ Rapid Rehousing program, which helps homeless 18- to 24-year-old clients set up housekeeping in their unfurnished apartments, he knew his junk pickup business could help. rice field.
Austin Lewis, head of the Rapid Rehousing program, says donations are especially appreciated because they go directly to clients. “His business model is unique and a perfect fit for us.”
Usage
When Mr. Hindman receives goods from businesses and homeowners, he, along with a band of helpers, including his girlfriend and brother, sift through the parcels with a view to rescuing the goods to be donated.
“We take them home, sort them, photograph them and catalog them.” He explains that Oasis provides him with lists of items Rapid Rehousing clients need. did.
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He also builds similar partnerships with Catholic charities to help clients specify items they need in their homes.
“We deliver these items directly to the doorstep of the people who need them, not just drop them off at their doorstep,” says Hindman. “Last week we received a sofa and some bar stools and a desk and were able to have them delivered and set up.”
Other still usable items are brought to Goodwill (mainly clothing) and the Habitat ReStore. The customer can also specify the charity they would like the product delivered to.
price
With pickup and delivery scheduled 7 days a week, Junk Drop offers a low price guarantee with pickup fees as low as $65. There is no fee for recipients of donations.
Pickups are priced by truck load, but a full Ford F-150 can cost up to $150, including shipping several items to various charities. If there are few items, the price may be lower. A truckload of unusable items directly to the dump is priced at $130.
Business is going well, Hindman said. He and Shepardson received dozens of calls asking for pickup after posting a junk drop note on Next Door in early July.
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On the other hand, they also have formal and informal relationships with people in need of items they may come across.
“It’s a lot of work, but very satisfying,” says Hindman.
“This turned out to be a million times better in every way than any other job I could have taken on,” he said.
“People are very grateful and so are we. This was not what we gave.”
He often sends customers pictures of cast-offs that breathe new life in other homes. He said the people who received the items were very appreciative and the customers were happy with the donations, adding, “I’m grateful to have been given this opportunity to do this together.
How to get a pickup
To get a removal estimate, send a photo and description of the item you want removed to junkdropnash@gmail.com.
They don’t carry paint, gas, concrete, or flooring, but most other things are fair game.
For more information: junkdropnash.com or call 615-497-4786
Contact Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on her Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, Tennessean.com/mscheap, her @Ms_Cheap on Twitter and every Thursday at 11am on her WTVF Channel 5 “Talk of the Town” please catch her
