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November 19, 2019

Junk business launches new show to spotlight rare finds

PHOTO | Contributed The Connecticut Junk Removal LLC crew at a recent Halloween clean-out. (Hence the ghoul and skeleton.)
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo

As the saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

A Fairfield business frequently discovers valuable items which have been thrown out as “junk.”

This week, Connecticut Junk Removal LLC will start sharing its rare and unique finds with the public via a weekly video stream. 

Glenn Jennings, the company’s owner, said he has found art and antiques among the “trash.”

“This is a great way for us to share our adventures with our customers and our community in an entertaining way,” Jennings said.  “Every Saturday morning, we will have a crew outfitted with GoPro cameras to let viewers on YouTube see for themselves some of the amazing things we find.”

The 78-year old company has been run by four generations of Jennings’ family. The business provides junk removal, recycling and waste disposal among its services.

Jennings’ business does a lot of work in southwestern Connecticut, which includes a number of affluent communities. 

“When you’re in the junk-removal business, you’re trained to look for valuables and recognize them pretty quickly,” Jennings said.

Jennings once spotted a painting-shaped box, and after opening it, he found a turn-of-the-century vintage painting inside. He sold it at an auction for $10,000. He found an antique train set on another job. 

About 15 years ago, a client who was moving didn’t have room anymore for a slot machine manufactured in the 1930s. Jennings liked it because it was manufactured by Jennings & Co. While his family wasn’t related to that company, he kept it for years because of the shared name. He later sold it on eBay for about $1,200.

“That sense of discovery is what we want to share more broadly with our new weekly video feed,” Jennings said.

The crew hopes to make the show entertaining. According to Jennings, with this job, they never know what is going to happen or what might be found inside the next box or bag.

“We have found a lot of interesting items, especially at estate clean-outs,” Jennings said. “It happens all the time when someone passes away — you will be opening a box which no one has opened for years. I think it will make for interesting viewing.”

“In Fairfield County especially, there are higher-end items, and sometimes the family members just aren’t interested” in keeping them, he said.

The company’s employees go over what they’ve found with customers, who can hold onto items they decide to keep or sell themselves. In one case, they found a box with Prada and Louis Vuitton handbags which a customer believed had been lost, according to Jennings. 

“It’s fun to see the customers’ responses,” he said.

The weekly show begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, and viewers can watch it on the company’s YouTube channel or via its website, at connecticutjunkremoval.com.

Customers who would like a film crew to come to their location may apply on the company’s website. If a customer is selected for a filming location, junk removal services are free. The show will feature only customers who have agreed to participate.

Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com

UPDATE: The company indicated on Nov. 21 that it is rescheduling the launch date of the weekly show to Saturday, Dec. 7.

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