With Wilmington thrift store, Delaware business owner gives things — and people — a second chance
As people mark Earth Day, one Delaware business owner is finding value in what others throw away.
Chris Boozer, owner of The Trash Porters in Wilmington, spends his days clearing out homes and businesses. But instead of sending everything to the landfill, he's giving many of those items a second life.
Boozer founded the company in 2023. As he handled more cleanouts, he said, it became harder to justify throwing away usable items.
"I'm coming across so much good stuff doing these junk removals and clean outs," Boozer said. "It really broke my heart to throw it into the dump."
That realization led him to open Second Chance Shoppe in 2025. It's a thrift store in Wilmington where customers can buy gently used and sometimes new items at a discount.
"I've saved pianos from the landfill," Boozer said. "I've saved furniture sets — great furniture sets."
From couches and cabinets to paintings and bicycles, Boozer estimates he's diverted hundreds of items from the dump.
Experts said efforts like this can make a meaningful impact.
"When you can pull value back out of the landfill, it becomes a value recovery story," Chris Jeffords, an economics professor at Villanova University who focuses on environmental issues, said. "A lot of times helping the environment starts in a grassroots way like that."
Boozer's commitment to the environment goes beyond his business. He's also adopted a quarter-mile stretch of Smalleys Dam Road, where he helps clean up litter several times a year.
"It's truly our purpose," Boozer said. "It's important to keep our environment clean."
During a recent warehouse cleanout in Newark, Boozer and his team sorted through more items to sell or donate, including unopened household goods, toys and wall art. He is focused on hiring people who are rebuilding their lives.
"I take pride in giving not only people, but items second chances," he said.
Boozer said he hopes his work will inspire others to think twice before throwing things away and to see the potential in turning trash into treasure.
