Stacey Jones stretches her arm out toward the area in back of her barn, a large grassy space that in her mind's eye already is full of food trucks, decor booths, furniture, junk booths and much more.
That is what the property will look like on May 7-8, the next big weekend for Route 51 Farmhouse Market, a business that is built on Stacey's love of junk repurposing and having a creative showcase for herself and other artists. Stacey is the creative mind behind the endeavor, while her husband, Derick, gets it done.
Right now, inside their century-old barn in Sunfield, the pickins are a little slim, with old dishes, desks and doodads haphazardly sitting around. But by May the contents will be spilling out the front of the barn, and wrapping around to fill the yard -- antiques, handcrafted furniture, unique home decor, food and coffee vendors -- are just some of the prizes Stacey and her mom have come up with. Moreover, Stacey is an old hand at junk and knows vendors in multiple states.
The Joneses plan to put up a sign on Route 51 announcing the Farmhouse Market. In case they don't get around to it, the barn is about a half-mile north of Sunset Memorial Cemetery on the west side of Route 51. If you pass Sunfield Baptist Church, turn around. Better yet, just look for where a lot of cars are parked.
"I've been junk repurposing for years," Stacey says, walking her visitor past the stack of old wooden windows piled up against the south side of the barn -- perfect for glass painting projects. She and her mom and aunt did it together until the ladies mostly bowed out. Still, Stacey's parents can't pass up good junk whenever they see it -- in burn piles, in alleys -- and they have sold stuff in Creal Springs and at the White Rabbit in Pinckneyville.
Last November was Stacey's first go-it-alone venture and it was a success.
Now she's planning on bimonthly weekend sales, with ever-changing vendors to keep it interesting for her regulars.
The Du Quoin Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed Route 51 Farmhouse Market on Friday. Chamber Executive Director Abigail Hammonds said this new kind of endeavor, where Stacey and Derick are using their own land as the basis for a business, represents a new way of thinking by entrepreneurs, especially those who want to open a business but not risk signing a contract for a leased storefront.
