You know the old saying about teaching people to fish? That’s what Melissa Hyce wants to do — but with vintage crafts.
Hyce is the newest business owner on Enumclaw’s Cole Street, and her store, Urban Junktion, opened just last weekend.
“My vibe is finding curated items for people’s homes,” she said. “Things I think adds a special character or uniqueness to people’s decor and style.”
Hyce wasn’t always into consigning vintage crafts. In 2013, she was more concerned with having to travel from Alaska to Washington so her son could get the procedure he needed at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
But while she was down here, living with her parents for weeks or months at a time, Hyce and her mother started checking out vintage wares as a way to pass the time.
“We started going antiquing and going to local vintage markets, and I just fell in love with it,” Hyce recalled. “So I started consigning little pieces here and there… it just kind of became my thing.”
Hyce started hosting her own vintage markets in Alaska once her son’s procedure was completed. But soon after, her husband’s work relocated to Washington, bringing her back to the Pacific Northwest — specifically, Buckley, where she’s now lived for three years.
However, just consigning vintage items and having booths at local shows wasn’t enough for her.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own shop,” Hyce said. “Growing up, my mom had a scrapbook store in Bothell, so I was that kid that grew up in that retail, small business atmosphere.”
She really wanted to open a shop in Buckley, to “stick with the historic downtown district vibe,” but every deal she tried to make fell through.
After taking a step back, Hyce found herself walking down Cole Street when she saw a “For Rent” sign in a window.
“I was like, this is a cute building, this has potential,” she said of the space that recently housed a candy shop and then a tutoring center. “So I reached out, and it worked out, and here we are.”
The front half of the store consists of 11 different vendors that provide Urban Junktion with various consigned items for customers to peruse and purchase.
“I started as a vendor, so it was really important for me to incorporate other vendors that are starting out,” Hyce said. “We’re always welcoming more.”
But it’s the back half that’s likely far more exciting to local crafters, as that space is being reserved for various classes to teach people how to create decor of their own. Classes aim to include everything from lettering and sign making to how to create your own vintage earrings, Hyce said.
The first class will be quite unique — taught by Hyce’s mother Deanna Wentz, it will be all about how to arrange your own charcuterie board.
“Basically, learning how to display and present food in a fun, crazy way,” Wentz said. “All of the setting up.”
The charcuterie board class is scheduled for April 2. You can sign up in person at the store or online on Facebook.
BUSINESS INFO
Address: 1527 Cole St, Enumclaw, WA 98022
Hours: Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, open 10:30 a.m. – 5 p.m Wednesdays through Sundays
Website: www.urbanjunktion.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/urbanjunktion/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urbanjunktion/
