My friend opK and I are waiting with baited breath for garage sale season to begin here in Minnesota. We have several weeks yet to go. There are a handful of neighborhood sales in late April, but our season really kicks off the first weekend in May.
In the meantime, we’ve been trying to find things to do until then like visiting thrift shops and the occasional estate sale. We aren’t finding much these days though.
So last week we decided to head to Junk Bonanza.
If you aren’t familiar, this is an indoor vintage market held in Shakopee, MN. It has been around for a little over 20 years. It was started by Ki Nassauer, but I am assuming she is no longer associated with it (if any of you know differently, leave a comment and let me know).
Back in 2014, I shared a booth at Junk Bonanza with my friend Lori who used to own a shop in Anoka.
Lori has amazing style, and our stuff blended together really well.
I mainly brought painted furniture such as the Union Jack piece above.
I also had quite a few painted and stenciled books.
And Lori always had amazing stuff both in her shop and at Junk Bonanza.
But I did only participate the one time. I still had my day job back then, so I had to take several vacation days off at work to be there. I also had to rent a truck in order to get all of my merch there during the allotted set up time.
Also, if I remember right, the booth fee wasn’t exactly cheap. So in the end, it just wasn’t worth it for me.
All of that being said, the event itself was amazing. There were so many fabulous vendors with really awesome vintage goods. At that time vendors were only allowed to sell vintage items, nothing new or reproduction.
Well, apparently things have changed. This year there were booths selling spices, hot sauce, cosmetics, candles, bath salts, honey, crystals, and bundt cakes.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Nothing Bundt Cakes (have you tried them? the lemon one is my favorite).
I had to give that particular booth a wide berth to avoid binging on bundt cakes!
But I don’t think I should have to pay a $10 entrance fee to buy them.
Also, Junk Bonanza used to be huge with multiple spaces on two floors. But this time there was just one room.
Now, it wasn’t all bad. There were several booths that were fantastic like this one.
And this one.
But there just weren’t enough of them to justify the drive to Shakopee, or the $10 entrance fee.
That being said, I’ve heard that the fall Junk Bonanza is much better than the spring version. Will I go back and give it one more try … well, to be honest, probably not.
How about any of you locals? Do you still attend Junk Bonanza? As for the rest of you, do you have a similar indoor vintage market where you are? And is it still going strong? Leave some comments and let me know!
q is for quandie 
Yes, we do! The Charleston Vintage Market is held at the Convention Center April 10-12th and it’s great! And the azaleas are showing off right now so come on back!
LikeLike
Sounds fantastic, wish I could come back!
LikeLike
we have The Vintage Market that comes to our area (and I think nationwide) twice a year. It’s the same way but I still enjoy going and pay the $10 entrance fee. It’s a fun day out with the girlfriends. 😊
LikeLike
Good point Susan, it is a fun day out!
LikeLike
try 501 in Chaska!! fabulous. I’m doing Second Hand Rose for 2 more months… we’ve got some fun stuff this market April 1 – 4 …No more JB for me
Lori Miller
LikeLike
Hi Lori! We did pop in to 501 on our way home, and I agree, fabulous. I found a print of Venice in an awesome chunky old frame there!
LikeLike
I’m so sorry – how disappointing! We used to have a few fun shows around here too and now they are all the same. Jewelry, soaps, Scentsy, etc. I used to do a pop up show (only about 17 vendors, free admission) right before Covid hit and I only allowed vintage. It was so fun to do, but after Covid, the market here was kind of depressed, so I didn’t want to put in all the work for not much return for the vendors. We also have a Nothing Bundt Cakes the next town over. I did try them, but they were too dense for me. The concept was cool and the price not bad, but I’m a baker, so I tend to make my own stuff. Hopefully some fun garage sales come our way soon!
LikeLike
Homemade is always so much better!
LikeLike
omg-we went on Thursday and were SO disappointed!! I haven’t been since 2024 (I never used to miss but last year was crazy), so I don’t know what happened in the meantime, but our group was SHOCKED! Yes, there were a few great booths, but definitely not worth the $10 entrance fee!! This used to be my favorite thing to go to and now I probably won’t go back😫😫😫
LikeLike
Oh good, so it wasn’t just my own perception. I was a bit shocked as well, but I hadn’t been back since before Covid so I thought maybe it had been bad for a while. Maybe the fall version will be better??
LikeLike
My daughter and I were vintage vendors at a long time “Junk”show over the weekend and it was the same. My guess is that there were only about 25% vintage vendors. The rest were home type handmade goods like lotions, candles, breads, jewelry, etc. It was disappointing to me but I realize they have to fill the spaces. Two of the best vintage shows in my area are ending this year. I hope this isn’t a hint that my type of show is on the way out. I guess we will see.
LikeLike
I do wonder the same Teri, are these vintage shows going to become a thing of the past? I do know that for me it has become harder and harder to find good vintage at garage or estate sales that I can then re-sell at a reasonable price. So maybe vendors just no longer find these shows profitable?
LikeLike