What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1291915
10 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3, 2020 COVER STORY How has covid-19 changed your junking year so far? Honestly, this will be our first show since covid-19. At this point, I'm not looking for indoor shows. We're going to have to wait and see what happens. So I'm happy to be outside for a show like this. We think we're all safer outside. We've been real cautious with all of this, as we think we all should be. And so we're looking forward to it. We think it'll be a fun, fun time for people to be together again, but in a safe environment, outside. We're pretty excited about it. We can't wait to get there. Rust In Piece Marquita Smith juggles her vintage business with her full-time job as a special education aide at a local public school. She sold her wares at the first Junk Ranch held at the current location — and has been there ever since. What kind of items do you look for on buying trips? Usually what I buy is stuff I love. I always buy, thinking, 'I may keep this stuff.' And the stuff that I do keep, after a few years I'll say, 'OK, I'm tired of that. What else can I find?' I do have a huge storage building that I keep stuff in for that reason, because for me, The Junk Ranch, fall season and spring season, to me, are two different types of stuff. People are looking for different stuff, so I can rotate it. What do you love about the business? I like when people ask you questions — 'Where did you get this? What is its history?' I've had the same man come from way down South. He has a flea market, and every year he buys something from me. If you stay in the same spot, people soon learn that you're the same person and know you and come back to see you. Monkeybox Vintage Shara Stacks has been selling at The Junk Ranch since the very first event. In the ensuing years, she has become known for her vintage-packed booth that specializes — especially in the fall — in vintage Christmas. Tell us a little bit about what you're bringing to the Junk Ranch. Is there an item that you're more excited about than anything else? Well, honestly, I've been shopping and pricing for almost a year. Since the spring show was canceled, my storage unit is chockablock with goods. Until I load the truck, I'm not completely sure what all is in there! I do have a handcrafted Amish child's rocker that is just so lovely — an heirloom in the making. I'll have loads of vintage Christmas, vintage home goods and holiday creations made with vintage goods. And lots of surprises — for me, too! Can you talk a little bit about the process of making your Christmas creations? Do you know where you're going with something before you sit down and make it, or do you sit down with no idea and let it take you where you want to go? It's a mix of both. Sometimes I come up with an idea, and I look for the items to make that piece. I usually start with the biggest piece — a vintage tin or a vintage toy — and go from there. I try to stick to a theme like Santa or a specific color. I try to use as many vintage items that I can possibly use to make it authentically vintage. I do add in newer items like glass ornaments to fill in and to make it more affordable. When I'm finished with a piece, I set it aside for a day or two and then I nearly always add even more embellishments. I like the shoppers to have lots of hidden surprises to find in each creation. You manage to make everyday items so special in your creations. What makes you look at an object and say "yes! that belongs in an art piece!" I like old items with character. Maybe that old coffee can held nails in a shop for years, so it might be faded and rusty. But adding in vintage elements of the same color scheme suddenly makes that old coffee can a focal point. What's the most unusual thing you've ever put in one of your Christmas creations? I made an arrangement on the back of a vintage flamingo yard ornament once. That was pretty out there, but it sold as soon as the gates opened! You've been with The Junk Ranch since the beginning. What keeps you coming back? There are months of buying and making and planning in your house, and you never know if what you're planning or taking will be well received or a flop. But then, the customers come, some even getting in line early just to shop your booth, and you hear the delight in their voices and the lines form to buy the stuff you found, the stuff you made. There's really nothing quite like it. The Junk Ranch is my happy place. Shara Stacks, the proprietor of MonkeyBox Vintage, is known for her large selection of vintage Christmas. (Courtesy Photo) "I'll have loads of vintage Christmas, vintage home goods and holiday creations made with vintage goods. And lots of surprises — for me, too!" says Shara Stacks. (Courtesy Photo) Junk Ranch Continued From Page 9