The co-owners of the Palm Springs 1-800-GOT-JUNK are cleaning up big time

BY CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA

After buying a vacation home in the desert, L.A.-based couple Matt Purner and Steven Salustri realized they wanted to make a full-time move out to Palm Springs. A quick Google search showed the local franchise for removal company 1-800-GOT-JUNK was available and the pair decided to dive right in. Two years later the couple is starting to show a profit while remaining active in the local community, which includes participating with other Southern California 1-800-GOT-JUNK franchises in this year's AIDS Walk Los Angeles.

FRONTIERS: Is it true a gay man's trash is another gay man's treasure?

SALUSTRI: Exactly. It's even better, because you know the gays throw away good stuff. They get it out, pay the money and we'll take it.

What is it like as a couple working together? Is it stressful balancing work and your personal life?

SALUSTRI: No, It's not stressful at all.

PURNER: We have pretty clearly defined roles and responsibilities. I do all the finance and accounting and Steve handles all the sales and marketing and HR for the employees. We don't have any crossover of function whatsoever, so there is no stepping on each other's toes.

SALUSTRI: It is something we established while we were going through the process of making the decision of going into business together.

Was there a niche in Palm Springs as a gay owned-and-operated franchise?

PURNER: Not as much as we actually thought. There is the Desert Business Association, which is sort of like the gay chamber of commerce, and we attend all their mixers and functions. It's not like you can go there and expect to do nothing if you want to own a business just because there is a big gay community and the third-largest city for gay-owned-and-operated businesses after San Francisco and P-Town.

SALUSTRI: What did really help, though, was because it is the gay community we were extremely welcomed, and being gay has never, ever once been an issue. But it didn't bring us any more business than anywhere else.

What's the craziest thing you guys have ever picked up?

PURNER: Sex toys from old women and old men.

Wow...

SALUSTRI: It's kind of interesting when we have to send our employees to the Warm Sands area. I don't know if you're familiar with that part of Palm Springs...

Um, yeah, I am...

SALUSTRI: We have to give them a little bit of talking to beforehand because it is clothing optional, there's some slings in place, a dildo display in the lobby. The funniest thing was Matt was with one of the employees at one of the places with a sling, and he wanted him to take a picture of himself in it and send it to his mother!

PURNER: You have to add some fun and humor to it.

“Green” is the thing everyone is now talking about. Is this real for you or is it just marketing? What does Green mean to a company like yours?

SALUSTRI: For us it means we recycle wherever and whatever we can, whether it is going to be metal or plastic or glass or aluminum. We are going to bring it to different recyclers around town. We are going to go out of our way to dispose of those recyclable items. If it’s junk we get in good shape we will bring it to the donation centers. If it's something that the donation centers don't want—for example we had a really large sofa that was way too big for a donation center to take. We shopped it around and gave it to a gay boys and girls club in the Valley. We take it seriously. Basically we go to the dump as a very last resort.

What advice would you give to a couple that wants to start a business together?

PURNER: Do your research and define roles clearly. We talked to a lot of friends of ours who are franchise partners, and there is some ambiguity between roles. That causes a lot of problems. But we don't have that at all, and at the end of the day we don't bring it home at all with us. It is really tough to lay the groundwork. Be prepared financially, since it takes a long time before you start bringing in money to support yourself. There is a big difference between revenue and profit. It's either all or nothing, and it's a huge commitment.

SALUSTRI: Who better than your partner to share a successful day with? It wasn't until Matt and I were together and we had a really big day with 1-800-GOT-JUNK; that was a real experience to celebrate a really big, successful day together.

One last question—paper or plastic?

SALUSTRI: Good question! We use a 1-800-GOT-JUNK tote bag.