It was Fall 2019. After the usual bike ride through Hale Reservation, Kirk McKinney, a Westwood High School sophomore at the time, decided to take another route home. Little did he know, what he discovered would drastically change the course of his life. Stumbling upon the Dover Transfer Station, McKinney couldn’t believe what he found. A manifestation of the phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” McKinney found numerous speakers and electronics that were going to be thrown away. After going back multiple times, he collected so many that “[his] entire bedroom was filled with speakers,” and his mom was “yelling at [him] to return them”. With his entrepreneurial spirit, McKinney decided to sell them on online platforms like Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp. After making some money with the side hustle, the dump workers befriended him and asked him to help out at a junk removal company. 

After learning the ropes of junk removal, McKinney decided to start his own small business by the name of K.J. Removals (K for Kirk, and J for his brother Jake). McKinney purchased his own pickup truck, and started doing any jobs he could get his hands on throughout 2020. By 2021, as jobs started increasing through advertising on apps like Facebook and NextDoor, he decided a better name was needed; so, Junk Teens was born. 

Business really ramped up in April 2022 when McKinney purchased a dump truck for the business, perhaps the most major milestone for the company to date. He attributes his passion for the company to the curiosities that junk removal can bring: “I enjoy junk removal because you never know what surprise is going to be around the corner, or what the day is going to look like. Every job and every day is a mystery”. After a successful year of growth, McKinney now attends Babson College in Wellesley as a freshman studying entrepreneurship. When asked about how he manages the company alongside schoolwork, he replied, “My brother Jake handles most of the day to day work, while I’m able to do tasks remotely like marketing and branding.”

With a big summer planned for 2023, McKinney said he is super excited to already have a strong and united community of teens who “support each other and push one another to do better.” The support of local realtors, Facebook groups, and loyal customers have also helped get the company to where it is today too. 

If he hadn’t stumbled upon the dump, Junk Teens may have not grown into the substantial local business it is today. McKinney’s journey is a source of inspiration to seize any opportunity that is presented, no matter how miniscule it may seem. We all start somewhere, despite how hard it may be to map out our individual goals or achievements. “I’m thrilled to continue to grow the junk life,” McKinney exclaimed when asked about his plans for the upcoming year.

The definition of the word authentic is “of undisputed origin; genuine” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Something authentic is true to one’s personality, origins, roots, or intrinsic values. Mike Disarro’s authentic expression of his Italian roots is through his newly opened business, Neroli Ristorante & Mercato in Islington center.

Growing up, the Disarro family was well-versed in the hospitality industry: Mike’s father owned a series of restaurants and nightclub businesses since Mike was young, while Mike’s brother worked at Chiara when they were in high school. As teens, the two brothers shared a dream of one day opening their own hospitality business. After the loss of his brother, Mike finally brought their dream to fruition through Neroli Mercato & Ristorante. Being so inspired by such driven and successful loved ones carried him through the hardships that come with starting a business, and Mike was determined to carry on both his father’s and his brother’s legacy by opening the restaurant. 

The name itself comes from a woman named Anne Marie Orsini, a 17th century Italian princess of Italy’s Nerola region. This later became the name of a plant that can be used as an oil or a spice, or Neroli, as we know it today. Disarro’s mission is to create a market of Italian foods that are either homemade or imported directly from Italy in their Mercato section of the Neroli business. From the San Carlo chips to their San Benedetta water, Neroli’s inventory is rich with Italian products and culture. “We try to really stay true to our roots all around the market. You won’t really see anything in here that isn’t truly Italian, and that’s what sets us apart from other restaurants,” said Disarro. 

Recently, I had the pleasure of sampling their Italian panino which consists of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil and prosciutto, as well as their steak and cheese sandwich during a later visit. Needless to say, they were delicious and worth every penny. The Neroli staff makes everything in-house for their customers, and you can truly taste all of their hard work in their food. Disarro said, “We want to go the extra mile… it’s all homemade, so people know when they bite into it, they’ve made the right choice.” His words could not possibly be more true. From the meat, to the vegetables, to the bread, everything was cooked and curated to perfection in the sandwiches. “The bread is everything in a sandwich,” said Disarro. He goes on to explain that his colleagues ordered an entire 18-wheeler full of a myriad of types of bread to meticulously sort through and decide which would be the best option. The effort and hard work put into the making of this restaurant is unmatched in Westwood. 

Currently, the market section of the business is open in Islington center, and the dine-in restaurant next door recently opened. I look forward to returning to Neroli Mercato & Ristorante upon its opening, when it will spread its authentic Italian cuisine throughout our town.