By Anita Todd
HAINES CITY – Judy Brown and Julie Stalnaker, the sisters behind Sisters Junktiques Vintage Market, recently welcomed a special guest they had invited more than a month earlier.
On Feb. 3, Charley Belcher of FOX 13 Tampa Bay’s Good Day Tampa Bay stopped by the shop to film his popular morning segment, Charley’s World. A well-known and well-loved news personality, Belcher travels throughout the region spotlighting unique destinations and local favorites, and this time, Sisters Junktiques made the list.
Stalnaker said she emailed Belcher just before Christmas to invite him to feature the store. He responded quickly, and after working out the logistics, they settled on the Feb. 3 visit.
“I emailed him to see if he’d be interested in visiting us right before Christmas,” she said. “After we settled on the date, we didn’t talk again until about a week before.”
Sisters Junktiques, which opened in 2015, has become a go-to destination for one-of-a-kind treasures offered by about 45 vendors. Each vendor rents a booth from the sisters, who provide staffing to assist customers and handle checkout, creating a seamless shopping experience inside the eclectic space.
The shop occupies a rambling 5,000-square-foot building that for decades housed Blackwelder Groves, the family citrus juice business. After Blackwelder Groves closed in the 1990s, the building sat largely empty until the sisters gave it new life as their vintage market.
Charley arrived before sunrise the morning of the visit, no entourage in tow, just his cameraman and plenty of energy.
“Charley was really very nice. He made us all feel comfortable,” she said.
The impact was immediate.
Stalnaker said they saw a huge increase in business following the segment, with many shoppers hoping to catch Charley before he wrapped up filming.
“We were slammed that day and Saturday we were crazy busy. People saw things in the background of the shots they wanted and paid for them on the phone,” she said.
Since the broadcast, customers from Sarasota, Tampa and Apollo Beach have stopped in to browse and buy some of the incredible finds.
“We are so happy. Even though we advertise, some people didn’t know about us until Charley,” Stalnaker said. “We hope they tell their friends and also visit again.”
Sisters Junktiques is located at 31549 U.S. Highway 27 in Haines City.
For more information, visit the Sisters Junktiques Facebook page at facebook.com/SistersJunktiques.
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