By Kat Bryant

The Daily World

Junk Queens is entering its second year this weekend with an Americana-themed vintage/antique show at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds in Elma.

About 65 artisans and vendors from all over the region will offer vintage items, primitives, antiques, shabby chic, country collectables and garden art at the show, called American Junk Queens. The general emphasis is on recycled, reused and repurposed items.

“It’s high-end junk. It’s not dirty junk, like at a flea market,” laughs event organizer Brooke Heikkila.

The Aberdeen resident launched Junk Queens last summer with help from her husband, two daughters and some other family members. “It is our family business,” she said proudly. “It’s fun, and we work together as a team.”

It started as a quest to bring home a popular concept.

“I’d been seeing something similar to this happening in other places … and I thought, why can’t we do that here?” said Heikkila. “For three months I went to every crafts fair, antique show and everything, hustling to get people to believe in my idea and to come to our county.”

They signed up nearly 40 vendors for that first event, and its success drew a new opportunity: The organizers of an annual Clatsop County event called Autumn in the Country asked Junk Queens to take over their operation. That show went on in September with about 50 vendors, a pumpkin patch and music.

After that, Heikkila and her husband, Chris, decided to commit to four shows a year – one for each season, split between Grays Harbor and Clatsop counties. The spring show was held April 1 in Astoria.

Part of the business model is giving back to the community. At each show, Junk Queens accepts donations of canned goods, usually for a local food bank or church. One event’s donations went to her daughter’s school in Cosmopolis. “They were having a food drive, and they were doing family baskets for the local community,” said Heikkila.

“It feels really good to give back to our community — especially here in Grays Harbor County, where it’s needed,” she said. “I love that we get to do something like that, and my girls get to see how important it is to give back.”

Junk Queens has received some interest from local chambers of commerce about the possibility of doing other shows.

“I’m very excited,” said Heikkila. “I had this vision, and I felt like I jumped off a cliff, and it’s really been coming to life.”

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IF YOU GO

Where: Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds, Elma

When: Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tickets: Adults $5, or $3 with a canned-good donation; children under 12 free

Parking: Free

More info: www.facebook.com/JunkieQ