"Southern Junker" in West Tennessee
| "Truly, one man's trash is another man's treasure," said Millington resident Ruth Barnes, who enjoys digging in dumpsters. |
The Commercial Appeal recently reported on a local resident who believes that every item has a use.
Five years ago, Ruth Barnes decided it was time to turn her life around. She felt she needed to make some changes. At 52 years old, married, with two children, she still felt there was something else that she wanted to do.
"I always felt there was something in me that might be creative; however I never pursued it. But I decided that it was time to take some time for myself and pursue the things I loved, so I took some time to regroup," explains Barnes.
Barnes began discovering things about herself that she hadn't realized before. One of the things that she discovered was that she seemed to look at things differently than other people.
"I knew I had always been a very outgoing, social person a 'people person.' But I also discovered that upon looking at an object, that I could often see something beyond its intended use. This intrigued me, and so I started collecting items of interest, and making things out of them that gave them new life."
Barnes also rented a booth in an antiques store and started going to auctions, estate sales, not to mention digging in barns and dumpsters. She found that she loved this pursuit.
"I grew up with antiques and collectibles. I've always loved them. My family never got rid of anything, we just passed it around. I met a few people that seemed to think a lot like me, and they like this repurposing outlet, too. One day, I thought, 'You know, there are bound to be more of us out there'," says Barnes.
But the question was how to find those folks? Barnes enlisted the aid of social media. While scrolling around on Facebook she saw "Create Group" and clicked on that tab. When asked to name her group, she thought up "Southern Junkers." The name seemed to say it all. It captured the spirit of what she was enjoying - collecting found objects of no particular pedigree, combined with that most Southern of pasttimes - socializing.
In short order, Barnes had accumulated 80 like-minded friends in her newly created Facebook group. The next step, she thought, was to try to get these creative allies to meet one another and gather in one place.
"In the fall of 2012, I started searching for a place where we could set up and sell our creations, and that is when the first Southern Junkers Market was created. My dear friends, Ron and Patti Callan, are the owners of Top Dog Trade Center on Hwy.64 in Eads. I spoke to Ron about having an outdoor Southern Junkers Market there, and he thought it was a wonderful idea. Since that time we have grown by leaps and bounds with over 10,000 members in our group, from all over the globe."
"This group is a family to me. I have met some fantastic people who are now my good friends. I feel that we all do the world a great justice with our attempts to save trash from the land fill and creating something useful with it either for ourselves or for someone else to enjoy. Truly, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Our Southern Junkers' motto is 'Everything has a Purpose and most have a Repurpose".
Although Barnes' Southern Junkers group is now listed as "closed" on Facebook, due to the large number of members, if you would like to join their mission of recycling and repurposing, contact Ruth Barnes-Memphis on Facebook and she will add you to their creative crowd. The next Southern Junkers Market will be held April 2014, at Top Dog Trade Center in Eads. |