Tucker Upper, a Birchrunville native known to his scores of followers by that name, discovers resaleable treasures among trash from wealthy Jersey Shore towns, writes Lini S. Kadaba for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
James Graeff, his given name, films GoPro videos of his trash picking and posts them on his YouTube channel with over 220,000 subscribers, his real moneymaker. In addition to searching for useful trash in the wealthiest Shore towns, he clears out homes and bids on storage units while providing running commentary.
Some towns have ordinances prohibiting salvaging but are rarely enforced, so Tucker has never gotten a ticket. He feels empowered knowing he is helping the planet by encouraging reusing items rather than buying new.
Tucker had an eye for locating useful items among discards since an early age, but only went all in when he met his wife, Sammie.
“It was something we could do together,” he said.
The couple even furnished their own home with finds.
“It was like a hobby that brings him joy,” said Sammie.
What began as a hobby soon became a lucrative business when his YouTube channel drew a growing audience, which started a thriving venture.
Read more about Tucker Upper finding a unique way to recycle items that others have tossed in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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