A few months ago, my sister Tanya,  from The Vintage Verandah, called me up and asked if I wanted to go on a Junking road trip.  My first reaction was of course …YES!!

A little history here…we grew up on the prairies, in a small town north of Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Today, I live in Maple Ridge, BC and my wonderful sister lives one province over in Cochrane, Alberta.  So when she mentioned a road trip, my first thought was maybe we would meet in the middle and go on the hunt for treasures.  Then I thought, maybe she wants to head back to the prairies….a perfect place for us to find some farmhouse treasures.  But no…she had somewhere else in mind!!  “Let’s go to Junk Bonanza in Minneapolis, Minnesota!!!”  she said.  Well, that’s not far at all!! LOL!!  I don’t shy away from a good old road trip, so before I even considered how long it would take us, I said “buy us those early bird tickets!!”

Here are a couple maps to give you an idea of where we went.

My husband, our two kids and I went from BC to Manitoba and my sister and her husband went from AB to Manitoba.  I left Tom and the kids at his parents house and I hopped in the truck with my sister and brother in law.  We headed 8hrs south to Shakopee, Minnesota…the home of Junk Bonanza!

We had a great time exploring a new market.  Junk Bonanza had about 150 vendors and is hosted by Ki Nassauer, the editor of Flea Market Style Magazine.  Our first day was Thursday, and we had early bird tickets, which got us in 2 hours early and a shopping bag.  Our anticipation was building….we couldn’t wait to see what was inside!!

Doors opened and off we went.  Kids in a candy store I tell ya!!!  Here are some pictures of some booths, to give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Check out these cute carts that the ladies behind us in the line up made!!  They added bling, and cup holders!!  Super cute…

Something new to me was actually taking a mid-day break, to have an afternoon ‘beverage’.  Minnesota loves it’s Bloody Mary’s and beer!!  They opened the stand first thing in the morning!  We found a comfy stool and enjoyed sitting and chatting about our finds, favorite booths and gathering some energy to haul out everything we bought!!   Thank goodness for the buffet of snacks on my sister’s drink!! A pick me up snack!!

Day two was just as exciting as the first!!  Vendors added new items to their booths, and it was fun going around and visiting with them again.

By the end of the second day, we had a trailer full of fantastic treasures and tired bodies!!

On Saturday we headed back to Manitoba, where my family anxiously waited for me to arrive.  I spent the next few days hanging out with the family and  visiting with some of the friends that I grew up with.  It had been 5 years since I had been “home”, so it was fun taking a tour of the 3 houses that I grew up in, showing the kids my old schools, taking them tobogganing on my old sledding hill, eating at the restaurants that I used to visit.  It was a trip down memory lane, and I had to keep reminding myself how long it has been since I lived there.  It seems like only yesterday.  Flashbacks of walking home from school with my friends, back to our homes where we would spend the rest of the day playing a neighbourhood game of hide and seek.  Driving the “main street” where I took my drivers test….I am not even going to think about how long ago that was!! LOL!!  We even drove up the lane of the last house I lived in with my parents, and I snuck a quick picture.

  I didn’t have the nerve to go to the door and say….”could I please come into your house and look around”….It didn’t quite seem like the right thing to do!! LOL!!

There is something to be said about life long friends… friends whom you have pictures of at every birthday party you ever had!!  Starting kindergarten together and graduating high school with, celebrating milestones with and finally seeing them being  parents… and their children playing with my own.  Nothing beats those kinds of friends.  Where you can sit down at their kitchen table and share a cup of tea and stories from past and present.  Like no time has past since the last time you were together.  I am grateful to have these friends in my life, and to have the wonderful memories of growing up with them.  I can only wish the same for my children, that they will know true friendship like I have.

I guess that is part of the reason that I love hunting for old treasures.  Everything has a story, and I get nostalgic thinking about who it was that used an item that I just bought.  I love hearing the stories from vendors, when they know the history of a particular item.  I think the majority of the wonderful people that I have met through The Olde Farmhouse feel the same way.  All the vendors that gather together to put on The Olde Farmhouse Vintage Market are amazing, wonderful individuals and we have all connected through the love of everything old!  Excitement builds for the vendors as the date of the market approaches….not only to meet all the wonderful shoppers and help them to find what they are looking for…but also because we truly enjoy being with each other and developing a wonderful friendship within the vintage community.   New friends in an old world…..that is something special and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to have met so many wonderful friends through the markets.   I am so excited that this year we will have some new friends to welcome into The Olde Farmhouse family.

 I can’t wait for June 14th…and whether you are a newbie or a return shopper, I look forward to seeing you there!!  So we can all surround ourselves with a little bit of history and wonderful friends.

Happy Junking!!!

Leah