Re-Thunk Junk Trail: ‘Some good finds if you take your time’

Published 5:30 am Saturday, October 16, 2021

KINDER — Bargain hunters, garage sale junkies and treasure seekers were in Kinder Friday, one of the many towns participating in the 6th annual Re-Thunk Junk Trail.

The 60-plus mile trail is a combination of flea markets, garage sales and farmers markets as vendors fanned out throughout the parish selling their goods. Some set up and sold their goods from tents, while others neatly displayed their items on outdoor tables and scattered about the ground.

The trail continues 7 a.m.-5 p.m. today stretching from Reeves to Kinder, to Oberlin, Oakdale, Elizabeth and points in between.

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“You can get some good finds if you take your time,”  K.T. Martin of Sugartown said as he meandered through the collectibles, antiques, vintage items and more.

Martin was impressed by the variety of vendors and items for sale.

“We always come every year because I love to find a bargain,” Janet Ardoin of Roanoke said.

Stacey Duplechain of Oakdale was looking for fall items for her porch and rustic stuff for her husband’s “Man Cave.”

“I just love to look at all the old stuff,” she said as something nearby caught her eye.

“Sis” Strother of Pitkin said her mother would take her to garage sales as a kid, so she grew up looking for bargains. Now she takes her granddaughters on junk jaunts.

“It’s a passion that I got from my mother and hope to pass down to my granddaughters one day,” she said. “They’re still too young, but they are learning.”

Warren and Polly Guillot of Crowley spent their 60th wedding anniversary looking for good finds.

“I have most of my home done up with things I got at flea markets and garage sales,” Polly Guillot said. “When I get tired of it, I redo it and pass the stuff on to my sister.”

Their daughter Christine Miller of Iota said “junking” is a good way to exercise and meet people.

“It’s a way to get out, socialize and exercise,” she said. ”And we find a lot of bargains.”

Vernona Bell of Kinder also enjoys meeting people along the trail.

“I just enjoy shopping and meeting and visiting with friends,” she said. “It’s a lot better than going to the funeral home to see them.”

Kathy Augustine owner of the Antique Flea Marketplace in Kinder is a first time participate in the Re-Thunk Junk Trail.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to come out, shop and talk with our dealers,” she said.

More than 40 booths selling a variety of gifts, homemade decor, sporting goods and more were set up inside and outside of the flea market, just off La. 383 in Kinder.

Claudia Campbell of Dry Creek is always searching for items for her shops.

“I travel a lot to Texas and Arkansas looking for bargains, but this is nice because it’s local,” she said. “I’ll probably end up getting stuff for my granddaughter and myself.”

“I love finding treasures,” Nikki Fontenot of LeBlanc said. “A lot of people call it junk, but I call it treasures.”