Six months in — just getting started.
Six months ago, Second Wind was an idea, a workbench, and a growing pile of broken electronics.
Today it’s a shop, a community, and — according to my basement — nearly two tons of tech that didn’t end up in the landfill.
That feels like a pretty good way to start a new year.
The Repairs That Made the Year
Over the past six months I’ve revived a Minolta 700 that had given up on life, scraped an ungodly amount of gum off a PS3 DualShock controller keyboard, brought a stubborn record player back to spinning glory, and fought more stick-drift battles than any one human should ever have to face.
There have been a lot of long nights, a lot of learning, and a lot of quiet victories when something that was supposed to be “dead” suddenly wasn’t.
Those moments never get old.
Favorite Moments Along the Way
Some highlights were… unexpected.
There was Larry’s Pants — my ill-fated attempt at parodying the American Eagle ads that were everywhere at the time. The idea was simple: a random guy named Larry and his pants, encouraging people to buy gently used clothing. The ads were weird. Slightly unhinged. They got plenty of views… and did absolutely nothing for the project.
No shame. Zero regrets.
The real highlights were quieter. Getting to know people in Raymond and Lethbridge. Hearing the stories behind their broken tech. Realizing how much meaning gets tied to the things we use every day — cameras that captured childhoods, consoles that lived in dorm rooms, record players that filled houses with music.
And being able to share the behind-the-scenes chaos of my family with the Second Wind family has been one of the unexpected joys of this whole thing.
The Impact So Far
In just six months, we’ve kept nearly two tons of electronics out of the landfill.
That’s two tons of plastic, metal, circuit boards, memories, and second chances that didn’t get buried.
That matters.
Looking Ahead: 2026
In 2026, the mission stays the same: keep even more tech, products, and plastics out of the landfill, and help the community even more while doing it.
One of the projects coming up is a “Fix-It Night” — a community event where folks can bring in their broken electronics for free estimates, with proceeds from repairs going toward a local charity.
More repairs.
More stories.
More second chances.
Here’s to the Year Ahead
Six months in, I’m more convinced than ever that Second Wind isn’t just about selling stuff.
It’s about keeping stories alive.
Here’s to another year of broken things, good people, strange ideas, and the quiet joy of making something work again.
— Cody
Second Wind Sales & Services
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