Junkin’ Market Days gears up for April event

Junkin’ Market Days was started in 2021 by Tea resident Kerry Bamsey.

“I decided to hold an event in the spring of 2021,” Bamsey said. “To my surprise, vendors from a six state area rented a booth and thousands of customers attended the event. Since the spring event in Sioux Falls, I’ve expanded to Fargo, ND and Rochester, MN. The event is held in each of the locations in the spring and fall.”

This April, Bamsey is planning a Sioux Falls Junkin’ Market Days on Friday, April 22nd from 4-8 p.m. and Saturday, April 23rd from 9-4 p.m. at the W. H. Lyon Fairgrounds Expo Building. There is a general admission charge of $5 per person. Visit www.junkinmarketdays.com for details.

Bamsey has been a resident of Tea for over 25 years, she and her husband Dan have three children. She came up with the idea for this type of event because she was looking for an opportunity for small business owners to interact and sell their products to the community.

“I’ve attended similar events in larger cities such as Omaha and Minneapolis,” Bamsey said, “I wondered why we didn’t have a similar event in Sioux Falls.”

So she got to work to make it happen. She did a lot of research online and connected with several event organizers to ask questions about starting an events business.

“I’m responsible for finding the event location, marketing the event to the vendors, and advertising the event to the local media outlets,” Bamsey said. She also is in the process of trademarking the Junkin’ Market Days name.

Currently, Bamsey plans to hold the events in the spring and fall in Sioux Falls, Fargo, and Rochester.

“I plan to continue to add events in different cities,” she said. “I also mentor female entrepreneurs who would like to bring the event to their community.”

Her advice to others looking to try something new is to be bold.

“Don’t be afraid to take action and do something out of your comfort zone,” Bamsey said. “You will learn new skills along the way.”

Her favorite part of the business is working with the variety of vendors.

“It is great to hear from vendors that the event exceeded their expectations and they were able to sell a lot of product and gain new customers,” she said.

A successful event is more than just a big crowd, it is helping other small businesses achieve their dreams.