Turning Trash Into Treasure: Behind the Counter at A Journey From Junk

A cheese grater becomes a jewelry holder, while an old window frame becomes a worthy piece of hanging art.

That's the magic of Kelli Myers, owner of the Main Street boutique Myers uses her creativity to take people's “junk” and turn it into funky items for sale. 

While the shop sells itself as “vintage chic with a hip and funky twist,” some of the most popular items are the store’s comedic life-lesson signs.

“I used to care … Now I take a pill for that,” reads one sign. Another reads, “I don’t know if life is trying to pass me by or run me over.”

Myers says the signs make people smile.

“People come in here and they just laugh,” Myers said. “There is a sign for everybody.”

Myers recently took time out of her busy day as a small business owner to sit down and talk to Patch about all things retail.

Here is what she had to say:

Name: Kelli Myers, Owner, A Journey From Junk

On working in retail: I’ve always been in retail of some type. Before I opened my boutique I worked as a sales representative for a gift company.

What do you like about your job? I like the buying, and putting things together, and finding things that other people might see as junk.

Can you give me an example of something you’ve transformed? One thing I do is I take these old cheese graters and I paint them and I put earrings on them.

What’s with the funny signs? Signs are probably one of my top three selling items in the whole store. I have a woman who custom makes them, and we come up with sayings. A popular one is, "I laughed so hard I had tears running down my legs." The old ladies love that.

What’s your personal favorite? "Mirror, Mirror on the wall—What the Hell Happened?" (laughs)

What’s one of the hardest parts of your job? I think the worst part is dealing with limited space. I am limited on space so it’s constantly a struggle to arrange it and get it together. When I do a re-model or rearrange things, it’s a disaster for days.

What’s something about you that’s surprising? My customers always want to know if my house looks like this—in theory, my house is shabby chic and very vintage, but then when you open the front door you walk into a pile of furniture from the floor to the ceiling (laughs).

What’s something surprising about your store? A lot of times the men will walk in, and walk right out, but then I drag them in because I have a little men’s section in the back. They don’t think that they’re going to find that here.

What’s your other favorite store on Main Street? I probably spend the most money at the Little French Market. But shopping-wise I love to get clothes at . She designs a lot of her clothing there, and she always has something kind of hip and chic.

What’s your clothing obsession? My obsession right now is cowboy boots. I wear them almost every day. They are comfortable, and I can wear them with everything—I probably have like 12 pairs. It’s more comfortable then a pair of tennis shoes to me.

What would you like to see more of on Main Street? I would like to see more Marylanders come to Main Street on a regular basis rather than when they have someone in town visiting. I constantly hear, "I drive through Ellicott City all the time but I never stop."

How has Main Street changed since you opened up shop? Main Street is changing a lot; there are so many new businesses here. Mostly younger women now are owning a lot of shops. It’s not typically your antiques like there has been in the past. There are great restaurants. If you want to buy a gift, if you need furniture, you can find it on Main Street.

What is your hope for your store? I’d like to expand to a larger location on Main Street, and eventually I would like to open a second location, preferably at the beach.

What’s your advice to future small business owners? To make sure that you jump in with your eyes wide open, and buy wisely and be very selective with what you’re purchasing.

, 8247 Main St. Wed.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 410-465-8330.