Christmas at JB Knacker so far...

The month of November flew by with a JB Knacker Christmas Bash, a show at Junk Jubilee Jingles, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Gilbert's small-town little festivities the first weekend in December.  And these are the snippets of JB Knacker during that time:

Very woodland & organic and well... very woodland.  But we do have traditional and glitzy, too:

The pictures I don't have are those of our customers' beautiful faces and smiles.  I tend to remember to take a picture after the moment has passed.  But that doesn't diminish how important you all are to us at JB Knacker.  It's been a record breaking season so far for this small business thanks to your support!  We plan to work our tails off right up to the weekend before the blessed day to help you w/ decorations, gifts and inspiration!  Thank you, thank you!


                                                                                ~Brenda  

Black Friday & Small Business Saturday at JB Knacker

Join us this Friday from 10am-5pm at JB Knacker.  The shop is being filled again with the best vintage around for this coming weekend.  It's going to be unseasonably nice weather and yes, the Cyclones are playing on Friday...but, we are going to lure you to JB Knacker with our version of Black Friday...20% off throughout the shop (gift certificates included).  Hot coffee and homemade ginger cookies will be plentiful and door busters, too.  Check the JB Knacker Facebook page for the update on the door busters...I am posting them Wednesday evening.

And this coming Saturday is Small Business Saturday...from 10am-5pm, there will be random mark downs on vintage groupings and cool pieces of furniture...as much as 50% off!  I will do my best to give an up-date on the JB Knacker Facebook page as to what these random specials might be!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and celebrate the "little things" that make this time of year the best!  And thank you for supporting my business throughout the year!

                                                                                                         Brenda

Ghoul's Night Out this Thursday, October 18th 5-8pm

 

JB Knacker is the place to be this Thursday evening from 5-8pm...for Ghoul's Night Out.  This is a night to say thank you to our customers who have supported JB Knacker all year long!  The shop will take on a haunted atmosphere, wicked good treats will be served and prices slashed for these 3 party hours only!  Ok...slashed might be a bit dramatic, but 20% off of everthing throughout the shop is a darn good sale!  Costumes are optional. but oh, so fun!  Keep up w/ the shop happenings on Facebook ..hope you can make it!
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                          Brenda

Fall for Junk ~ central Iowa's junk jaunt

It's just around the corner...Fall for Junk, central Iowa's junk jaunt!  This event is next weekend, September 28th & 29th (Friday & Saturday) from 9am-5pm.  There are 18+ venues (barns, chicken sheds, liveries, flea markets and 100yr old storefronts) on this jaunt, and they will all be spiffed and ready for you to scrounge around  in for the best vintage finds!  Whether you're looking for farm primitives, architectural salvage, urban industrial, repurposed or even awesome pumpkins...this junk jaunt will have it!

 
JB Knacker will once again be host to a great flea market in our side yard w/ delicious homemade treats, funky repurposed art canvases, jewelry housed in a refurbished vintage camper and the good junk you crave throughout the yard!  Inside the shop..well, let's just say, the old place will be flipped on its ear and whipped into shape by the time the door opens friday morning at 9am sharp (the transformation has already begun...but it's not anywhere near the inspirational stage yet :)  I have found some wonderful wire, primitive wood and unique one-of-a-kind vintage pieces in my travels lately...can't wait to transform the shop w/ them!  Hot coffee & cider will be available along w/ yummy cake donuts to fuel your journey.  And Stella's on Main just down the road from us will also be hosting a vintage flea market in her side yard...Gilbert will be a great place to start, finish or just linger on these 2 days!

Click here to go to the Fall for Junk map and start planning your adventure!
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                        ~Brenda   

Time for a Change...

New Shop Hours Begin Friday, August 17th at JB Knacker: 

Friday noon-5pm

Saturday 10am-5pm

Sunday 11am-4pm

*every weekend

**Thanks for your support and encouragement during this exciting time of change!

                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                     ~Brenda

More on Junkin' in June...Friday & Saturday, June 29th & 30th

The shop has been rolling right along into this summer of 2012.  The days have been wonderfully warm.  Industrial urban and sweet cottage seem to be the best sellers so far this season: blue mason jars w/ zinc lids, metal-topped wood tables, wire baskets and old books.  The advertising for our area's big event, Junkin' in June, is going to print soon in the regional papers.  The shop is beginning its big change w/ all sorts of new old stuff finding its way in.  The shed out back has been cleaned out, the old dirt floor leveled and rocks and straw put down.  This old building will be filled w/ architectural salvage and other fun pieces. The family is coming to terms with the fact that they're help is extra important in the next week.

The flea market in our side yard is full...13 quality vendors peddling all sorts of vintage, repurposed and just plain great stuff!  The doors to the shop and flea market open at 9am on both the 29th & 30th, but I'm certain early vintage groupies will not be turned away!  We will be working hard all day both days of this event to have things fresh, restocked and fun for you!  The last 2 hours of each day (3-5pm), JB Knacker will have 20% off of everything in the shop.  I will also be having a drawing for a Junkin' in June give-away the last 1/2 hour of each day (4:30 pm)...you must be present to win!  Thank you for those of you that have been following along w/ this blog, Facebook and/or my emails.  I appreciate all of you and wish you the best this summer!
                                             Brenda 

Junkin' in June Side Yard Vendors at JB Knacker

 

Thank you Farmgirl Chaos for your inquiry about who the wonderful vendors in the side yard of JB Knacker will be for this year's Junkin' in June!  Here's the list as of today.  I like where it's at...nice combo platter of vintage, vintage inspired jewelry, industrial, painted furniture, bling, farm primitives, salvage and treats!

Little Prairie Girl

Linda Matson

JunkKey JEwels

Anything But New

Suzanne & Karol

Vintage No. 35

The Rummage Drawer

Silver Wearz by Jess

Sweet Madeline's

Past Time Treasures

JB Knacker's "sister store", In The Back Shed in conjunction w/ Clare's Cooling Station

How's that for some linkage!  Those that aren't linked to a blog or Facebook are new, fun businesses or a partnership between very talented junkers!  And vendors let me know if I missed linking you up w/ a site :)  Also, just a note of interest...2/3 of these vendors are fresh faces from last year and the 1/3 that well, aren't as fresh, are back by popular demand!

I am in the process of checking out a couple more vendors...so the side yard and even 'round back will be full at JB Knacker!  And just down the road from the shop, Stella's will be hosting a flea market of their own!  Gilbert will be a hopping place to be on these 2 days!

A very exciting 2 days (June 29th & 30th) in our neck of the woods!  The Junkin' in June map is up on the Junkin' in June Facebook page.  We have 3 more sites to add to that map in the next few days (2 rural Boone sales and a fun sale in Nevada).  The hard copies of the maps will be available in all of the participating brick & mortar shops very soon and up on this blog for you to copy off as soon as it hits my inbox!

More to come...the giveaways at JB Knacker at 4:30pm on both Friday and Saturday of the event.  I'm dreaming them up right now and conspiring w/ the bigwigs in the industry to come up w/ some good stuff!  It's a great way to say thank you to our customers and end each day on a high note for both the shop and the vendors!

                                                                                               Brenda

Hen Pecked Winner

OK...kind of stole that title from one of the lovely comments left on the blog.  There is a pecking order among groups of chickens, and Crumb (white feathers and larger than the rest) is certainly the top of that order.  So, she picked the giveaway winner and then ran around frantically w/ the piece of paper in her beak while Fleur, Roweena and Buckbeak followed.  My husband finally got the little piece of paper back and it said....Mara from Mara's Market...congats!  Send me an email, Mara, and we'll get your package to Wisconsin ASAP!!  And a huge thank you to all 19 of you who entered.  I enjoyed reading your comments and promise to get to each and everyone's blogs (if you have one).  Have a great rest of the weekend!  

                                                   Brenda

JB Knacker Giveaway

Go ahead and leave a comment on anyone of my blog posts and get your name in the drawing for a JB Knacker giveaway.  I just picked some of the best sellers at the shop to put a little gift together: our shop soap (nice fresh pine smell...great garden soap and for some reason, the guys love it!), pretty blue quart size mason jar w/ zinc lid (filled w/ a minty bath salt and shell for scooping), a fun metal flower magnet (color of your choice...orange shown in this picture and a length of sweet hand made banner (cut to your specifications).

I am thrilled w/ the response so far!  Thank you to those of you who have left comments already.  The giveaway will remain open 'til Friday at midnight.  Then I plan on letting these girls (see above) choose a winner!  I thought that would be fun and random! Have a great Thursday!

                                                                                   Brenda

Chalking and Dreaming

Can you tell my summer employee (my daughter) is bored an English and French major and loves daydreaming children's literature?  Actually, I love her doodling on the kitchen chalkboard on my dime...no, really, I do!  In fact, I am headed into the shop tonight after we close to do some doodling/dreaming myself about my hopes for the Junkin' in June event happening in just 3 1/2 weeks!

 
I want this one to be better than last year...and that will be a TALL order!  It was a blast last year...even though it poured rain for the morning and then became a sauna later in the day.  The vendors in the side yard of the shop went home a little soggy, but happy.  And my little vintage shop had its best day EVER!  Every barn, chicken shed and such on the route also had their BEST day ever!

So...how do we improve?  We put our heads together the other night over a little beer and burgers and made a few decisions: Every one of us on the route is really ramping-up what we do at our own venue (whether that be w/ awesome junk, styling, food, give-aways, extra vendors...it's up to that venue to be great!).  Maps ( will be plentiful at each stop so you can find your way to the next destination easily.  There are 15 of us on the route/jaunt/map...6 brick & mortars, 3 barns, 2 chicken sheds, 3 country sheds and 1 old livery building, and you have 2 whole days to discover each & every one! 

 

How can JB Knacker improve?  The shop will be filled w/ the best vintage I can find at really good prices!  We are introducing you to a farm fresh batch of new vendors in the side yard.  For a few, this is their first time showing...their first time to delight you w/ what they've found, created and repurposed.  For others, they have been doing shows for a little while and have fine-tuned their craft.  A breakfast bar will be located in the kitchen of the shop.  You can grab a good cup of coffee, juice, fruit and a muffin first thing in the morning and gab w/ fellow junkers.  The back shed WILL be open for this event and filled w/ great salvage.  And I will be enticing junkers back at the end of each day w/ a great drawing...need to be present to win...so worth it!  

Remember, leave a comment and you're automatically entered into a fun give-away (winner drawn on Friday, June 8th)!

                                                                              ~Brenda  

Summer...and a Give-away

Ok...comments are rolling in slowly (thanks Sue for being the first!).  Sue has been a special customer for many years.  I've loved shooting the breeze w/ her...she was the one who really got me inspired to blog many years ago.  And Sue and her sister, Paula will be vendors in the side yard at Junkin' in June showcasing their JuNk KeY JeWeLs and fabulous wire jewelry!

  I thought the blog give-away for those who leave comments on this blog by Friday, June 8th would be a few of my best sellers at JB Knacker.  A blue mason jar w/ zinc lid (thinking about filling it w/ a minty bath salt that we occasionally concoct), a run of handmade petite banners (you can see one hanging in the window above...I will customize its length to what you need), a bar of our fresh pine soap (it's a great garden soap) and a pretty metal flower magnet (big) that we sell like crazy!

Some fun items just in at the shop...50 plus wood & metal file drawers that would be perfect for herb gardens, stashing colored pencils/paint brushes or for sorting mail...tons of ideas!  Hundreds of little magnetic wood letters and several sizes of magnetic boards framed in old barn wood...a real statement piece for your wall!  And awesome nature finds: bird nests,various skulls & other large bones, small tree stumps...love these for decorating!

 
                   Go ahead and leave a comment, become a follower or both.  And thank you for reading my ramblings, I truly appreciate it!                                          
                                                                                                     Brenda

Junkin' in June...the Big Event

                                                  Junkin' in June
                           Friday, June 29th & Saturday, June 30th
                                 9am to 5pm both days
What is it?
Junkin' in June is Central Iowa's junk jaunt.  It began several years ago as an event at JB Knacker called The Breakfast Club.  I had decided to reward my customers...we would open early and serve fruit, muffins and juice and do a bit of a discount in the shop for a couple of hours in the am.  I would flip the place and bring in tons of new old vintage.  And another big draw would be to have maps to all of the area barn sales!  It just kind of grew from there.

Where we stand today.

It's now a 2 day event (both Friday and Saturday) and involves about 6 brick & mortar shops (shops that have an actual storefront and open w/a regular schedule) and about 9 barns, chicken coops, sheds, country tents also referred to as occasional sales.  We have a Facebook page, event postcards, and a concerted effort to make this a great junk jaunt...one you will talk about (in a good way) and look forward to for the next year!!

 

What to expect at JB Knacker.
We will open at 9am sharp both days.  JB Knacker will be twirled w/ great new old vintage finds throughout!   We will also be host to a yard full of wonderful vendors!  A vintage camper or two will grace our side yard as the vendors will be peddling their vintage wares straight from the camper...fun!  Everything from vintage, antique, junk, farm primitives, vintage and vintage-inspired jewelry, fresh produce, pretty flower bouquets, cupcakes, cookies and refreshing drinks will be waiting for you both days at JB Knacker.  We will have maps to all of the area shops, barns, chicken coops, sheds, etc. on the junk jaunt!  Food vendors will be available in the side yard and just down the street near another fun little Gilbert shop, Stellas.   Details are still being worked out: Will we have a discount on that weekend?  Will we serve a light breakfast or have the local fire station take charge of that one?  Will we have a couple of fun give-aways at the end of each day?

My goal...
for the month of June is to post on this blog almost every day, showcasing the Junkin' in June event, the vendors and giving updates on the details (see above).  That is a huge challenge for me!  I have loved blogging in the past, but have gotten away from it thinking maybe it's importance had waned.  I have to tell you, I was so very proud of myself for figuring this blog "thing" out.  Then Facebook came along and grudgingly, I jumped aboard that social network platform.  Yes, it is easier and quicker, but I have missed blogging.  I am wordy.  I love checking out others blogs.  So, I am back.  And look forward to getting back to what I once really enjoyed...sharing w/ fellow shop owners, customers and those that enjoy vintage and/or a good shopping event.  I would love to hear from any of you about what you would like to see on this blog...shop owner talk, vintage/junk talk, juggling it all talk...would love to know. As a bit of an enticement, I will be drawing a name from any comments left to receive a fun JB Knacker give-away.  I will be sharing that tomorrow and will keep the give-away open 'til next Friday (June 8th)!


                                                                                       Brenda




 

What a Beautiful Month!

Life has been good and busy!  And that is a very big reason there have been no updates on the blog lately.  We just celebrated the college graduation of my oldest son and the high school graduation of our second daughter.  The weather was beautiful for the graduation party held outside at our house.  We worked hard to get the place spruced up!  Luckily we had a few blooming flowers to use as centerpieces and borrowed plenty of furniture and props from the shop to make a lasting impression!  Now to just keep everything looking like it did for the party!

Speaking of parties, JB Knacker's Garden Party is just around the corner, Saturday, May 26th from 10-3pm.  Below are pictures from the last 2 garden parties...and boy, do we have the work cut-out for us to make the shop shine!  A new addition this year is a few of my favorite vendors will be in the side yard w/ their garden wares.  The old shed behind the shop will be transformed into a garden shed of sorts...displaying great outdoor and architectural pieces-I am super excited about this transformation!