A new military surplus business got its start from two men with first-hand knowledge of the product line.

Trenton Tactical, which recently opened a 1,500-square-foot storefront at 524 Main St., Hamilton, aims to market all facets of military surplus into practical civilian applications such as hunting, camping, work clothing, winter wear, paintball, airsoft and more.

The business came into being at yard sales and flea markets in the Trenton area earlier this year thanks to U.S. Army veterans Spencer Stewart and Clint Vonderhaar.

Stewart, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, started skipping his lunch at a factory job in Hamilton to sell coveralls and boots to fabrication workers out of the trunk of his car. Vonderhaar, who served in Kuwait and Afghanistan, fit in sales while operating his first business, Froggy’s Sportswear.

In addition to having the ability to order name-brand tactical gear for its customers, Trenton Tactical is working with vendors out of Hamilton and Cincinnati to add locally-manufactured items to its tactical inventory, Stewart said.

“Our business is simple: buy cheap, sell cheap,” Stewart said.

Trenton Tactical will also donate a portion of its profits to the Wounded Warrior’s Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and transition to civilian life.

“Not enough is done for today’s veterans — and especially veterans in the past — to help them deal with the things that they see and the things that they do while deployed,” Vonderhaar said. “Right now there are a lot of Vietnam veterans who are coping with what they had to do, and we don’t want to see that happen to the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.”

Running this business allows both men to meet a multitude of area veterans, including those who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

“There’s not too many better groups of people to surround yourself with,” Stewart said. “It’s an outstanding thing to be a part of.”

Weekday store hours are limited to the evening, but are expected to expand pending business growth.

“For now, Clint and I both have day jobs,” Stewart said.