Hello, Junkers! I can’t tell you how great it was to be back in the thick of things during May and just how much we are looking forward to the summer months.

May, of course was the month to honor your mother. So, Ki packed her bags and flew off to Florida to visit hers. According to Ki, Svinga Brothers is THE place to junk in Ocala, Florida. Let me tell you, the trinkets Ki brought back required more than one extra, hefty size duffle bag. My guess? There is a shipment due any day signed, “Love, Mom.”

While Ki was basking in the sun and picking through vintage locker pins, I was in Des Moines, Iowa. My daughter Elizabeth (aka E, Ebeth, or Boots) and I took a little mommy-daughter road trip of our own. My little Boots suggested this as a Mother’s Day offering to me, but truth be told, she loves junking as much as I do. At 15, though, it’s hard to admit that you’d rather be junking than shopping for a new pair of jeans. We had a great time at one of our favorites, West End Architectural Salvage. We found so much of the good stuff, I almost had to ship Ebeth back via Greyhound due to lack of car space. But, alas, we and the junk fit nicely, along with a new pair of jeans for my good little girl.

The Brimfield Antiques Show in Brimfield, Massachusetts, took place May 8-13. If you have never been, you should put it on your calendar of places you must go. It’s a riot to see the population of this town grow from teeny tiny to overflowing with hungry junkers. The J&J Show at Brimfield is the fair-haired child of the event. They only open on Saturday and Sunday of the six-day extravaganza. Trying to get through the entrance gate on Saturday morning is quite a challenge. Folks line up, line up, and then line up some more. When the gates finally open, everyone charges inside. I refer to this phenomenon as Brimfield’s own running of the bulls. I strongly recommend good running shoes. Don’t forget: Ki and I will be back at the J&J Show on July 14 for Country Home’s Junking Journey sponsored by Eucerin We’ll have a tent full of goodies, books to sign, and much more. If you’re in the area, we would love to meet you.

What else is up? We’re still plugging away at our second book. It should be wrapped up quickly and then it is hurry-up-and-wait for it to be printed. Please stay tuned for progress reports. Also, the long-awaited launch of the American Junk Club is just around the bend. I cannot put into words how excited we are about this project. Check out our Web site, www.junkmarketstyle.com, for the latest scoop. Last, but certainly not least, we’ve been cooking up great projects for our “Cool Junk” column for Country Home. Since the snow has finally melted, Ki and I have located some new junk piles to scour. We’ve uncovered all sorts of cool stuff that will translate to fresh ideas in the column.

Well, I guess that’s all for now, folks. Until next time, hope to see you on the junk aisle.

Take care,
Sue and Ki

P.S. Don’t forget that our next Antiquing Highway story is the July/August issue, on sale June 19. Make sure to read it because you will love this California journey. It’s my personal favorite so far.