Hello, Junkers!

At long last we are back home in the Twin Cities, fresh off our whirlwind home-show tour, which took us to dozens of cities throughout the U.S. We even had the opportunity to visit our junking friends in Toronto, Canada. Whoa, talk about a fun city! Junkers across North America have many things in common, but one similarity stands out among the rest: Junkers just may be the friendliest folks you will ever meet. When you're in their city, not only will they divulge their best-kept junking secret locales, but they'll come along with you for the ride and even have you over for dinner just to make you feel at home. Now that is what we call down-home junker hospitality.

If you find yourself traveling in uncharted territories, keep in mind that every city seems to have their very own junking claim-to-fame. We wish we could share all of the ones we uncovered during our journey (sneaking out in-between home-show presentations), but we’ll save some for later. We will, however, give you the heads up on Omaha, Nebraska. On the outskirts of downtown Omaha is a most charming oasis called Old Market (www.oldmarket.com). The time-worn brick streets are lined with quaint shops, hole-in-the-wall cafes with oh-so-good eats, wine bars, vintage book stores, and—of course—antiques and junk shops. Like two little girls in a candy store, we spent most of our free time there scouring the shops for worthy treasures. If you ever find yourself in Omaha, we both highly recommend you carve out some time to enjoy this little slice of junker's heaven.

Now, on to what has us all atwitter. Spring has at long last arrived. There is nothing better to a true junker than the smell of garage sales and spring markets in the air. Dare I say, it's even better than the smell of freshly cut grass. We are junkers of habit and kick off flea-market season the same way each year and as tradition dictates: Kane County Flea Market (www.kanecountyfleamarket.com), here we come! Although Kane operates year-round, it seems as though the magical month of May brings out the very best. It's like attending a class reunion, hooking up with all the delightful vendors we've come to know throughout the years. Everyone arrives with a restored outlook on life, not to mention a freshly picked load of cool junk. What could be better? So, junkers, dust off those fanny packs and join us in the great American pastime: flea-market shopping.

Until next time....Take care,

Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer of JunkMarket
Country Home contributing editors

P.S. The American Junk Club is on the horizon, due to launch summer 2007. Visit www.junkmarketstyle.com for more information and to see how you can become a charter member.