Last weekend I attended The Great Junk Hunt in Roseville, CA. It’s a two day event with vintage home decor, garden pieces, crafted items and more. It was an enjoyable day and I found some fun pieces plus I had some good girl time with some friends. Today I am just popping in to share some of the vintage goodness.
I am happy to share my fun finds from the show and recommendations on how to shop these type of events.
This is the first vintage. market I have attended in a long time, and I have a new perspective.
Details About the Great Junk Hunt
The Great Junk Hunt was held at a convention center in Northern California in a town called Roseville. It was only in one room so it was not a huge show. I have been to some where they garner three indoor areas plus outdoor space. This particular event was totally manageable for a one day shopping experience, which worked out best for me right now.
The show ran two days, Friday and Saturday. Friday it was open from 4pm-9pm and Saturday from 9am-4pm. I shopped for about 2-1/2 hours from 10ish to 12:30ish on Saturday and covered the majority of the show. I probably would have shopped a bit more if it wasn’t so physically draining for me (more on that later, down below). For the General Admission pass, which is what I bought, it was only a $10 entrance fee.
The event provided concessions, including food and drink plus adult beverages. Our group went to lunch after shopping so I did not sample any of the offerings. The Bloody Marys looked good though; just saying. The Great Junk Hunt holds events in different parts of the country, although most seem to be on the West Coast, but I did spy one in Tennessee.
Finds @ the Great Junk Hunt
I made a list on my phone of the items I was looking for to have a plan of attack at the show. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything on my list, but it’s always fun to find the unexpected, which is what these shows are all about. I was only shopping for smalls during this trip. Some of the items on my list included, pewter, copper, trophies, and small oil paintings to name a few.
Large Floral Frog
I recently styled our antique secretary desk with Spring |Easter vibes which I shared here {traditional Easter decor vignette}, and I used my collection of vintage floral frogs. I really wasn’t looking for more, but the really large floral frogs always grab my eye. At first I spied this guy. I loved the shape. I loved the color. The price tag, not so much.
Sorry it’s a bit blurry, but if you zoom in you can see the $30 price tag. Then in another booth I found this guy and he was 1/2 the price! Since I already had something else in my hand for this booth I added it to my purchase.
It’s a total different vibe than the original one I saw, but I am totally digging it. I have a fun summer plan for this guy, but I have a feeling it will pop up in many vignettes and projects.
Vintage Spindle
Architectural pieces always grab me. Through the years I have picked up many pieces and sometimes I don’t necessarily have a purpose for them but they just call my name. Now I try to be more intentional about my purchases, and I knew right away what I want to do with this spindle. Summer project coming your way.
This was my first purchase of the day, whichI paid cash for. I always bring cash to these type of events.
Shopping Tip: I always bring cash to these type of events since sometimes price breaks are extended if you pay by cash versus credit|debit card.
The lady running the booth had her daughter in charge of the cash box. She was sweet girl probably around 9 years old and she couldn’t make change for me. I gave her a $20 bill for the $8 spindle. The thing is it wasn’t her fault, she even mentioned $12 change. The problem was the vendor didn’t have enough small bills to make the correct change so she just sold it to me for $5 instead. Cash is king in these type of venues.
Delicate Handkerchiefs
Ok, so these hankies totally got me. They were $8 a piece, which I found very reasonable. This vendor had several stacks of these pretties, divided by color way. Oh my!
I wanted quite a few, but restrained myself to these two. They were all so pretty and fun! I am kicking myself for not taking note of the vendor’s name, so I could look them up, since they had other things I liked too. These darn pretty hankies just sucked me in and took all my focus.
Grunge Metal Drawer
This next guy is a little rusty, green metal drawer. You know the green caught my eye first, but then the rust and then the metal. For $5 dollars is was a unique little piece to use in so many ways. It’s perfect for styling purposes.
They had a tub full of them and I would have loved to have seen the piece in its entirety. I am guessing it was a tool kit of some type for a workshop.
Rusty Garden Spikes
These are the only items I purchased, which are actually new, but they are handmade. They are rusty garden picks and once again there was an amazing variety. I wanted so many different styles, but settled for this queen bee and fern frond motif. I love the grunge texture!
On a Personal and Final Note
This is the first time I have attended an event of this sort since my MS diagnosis. It did prove to be a bit of a challenge at times, but fortunately the event center offered plenty of sitting areas where I was able to rest in between shopping.
That being said, typically I would recommend walking a show this size twice. Since I knew I probably would not be able to, I took quick snap shots of things I was interested in, in case I wanted to seek them out once I was done with my first sweep.
Shopping Tip: Take pictures of items you like, if you’re unsure at first, so you can remember to go back later and see if you changed your mind or price can be reduced.
Also I found the show to have a higher percentage of clothing than usual. I have bought some clothes in past shows before, since they tend to have some cute stuff, but it should only be a few booths at most. That’s my opinion for a vintage junk show anyway. Plus many of the booths were homemade crafts or unfortunately new farm style mass produced pieces.
As far as pricing in general, I found some pieces extremely expensive. I did find some nuggets of good value and even some I left behind, since I have been doing this for years and own a bit of stuff myself. This green restaurant ware was totally calling my name and I considered a couple of pieces, but eventually walked away.
Also towards the end of the show is when vendors tend to be open to negotiation since many of them do not want to pack and move everything. As we were exiting the show around 1pm, many folks were entering, and I am sure the main purpose was to hunt for bargains. For me, it was a fun way to spend a few hours of vintage goodness and visit with friends.
Shopping Tip: If you are looking for the best deals approach vendors towards the end of the show and ask if they are willing to negotiate.
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“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.”
Thomas A. Edison