I’ve been scavenging and thrifting for as long as I can remember. I grew up spending weekends at garage and estate sales, picking through people’s lives and “junk.” My mom would literally pull the car over for trash she thought might be treasure—and she was usually right. In my town, my favorite day of the year is the annual Dump Day tag sale. You get the picture—I’m a born-and-bred garbage picker. I was truly raised with the belief that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure, and combined with my love for accessories, that belief has brought us here.

A lot of my materials are sourced secondhand from flea markets, church charity shops, thrift stores, my childhood jewelry collection, my mom’s friend’s old jewelry, eBay sellers, kind women in my hometown’s take-it-or-leave-it Facebook group (thank you Eileen), and other forgotten places. Once I use a thrifted or vintage bead or pendant, that’s it—I’ll likely never find it again, which is both terrifying and wonderful.

I also source from small sellers on Etsy and traditional craft and bead shops. I like the tension between old and new—between forgotten and freshly chosen. It keeps things interesting and unexpected. 

Real Piece of Junk is intentionally mismatched, asymmetrical, and a little offbeat. It’s refined and elegant when it wants to be, but pretty chaotic and unconventional at its core. 

I’ve been looking for my thing for some time now—what I want to do with my time, what I want to be—and with Junk, it finally clicked. I have so many ideas (too many) for ways to expand Junk’s offerings, so please stick around! I’m really glad you’re here.

<3 Dominique