Onalee Derksen is an old soul, something that serves her well as the owner of Vintage Junky Thrift in Fort Frances.
Derksen’s love of thrifting started out of necessity in the early ’90s, but over time she developed a love for the thrill of a good find, in addition to an appreciation of the history and quality of vintage items. She’s not alone – Derksen has observed a cultural shift in the practice of thrifting, as newer generations have started to embrace the pull of nostalgia.
“Thrifting has always been a huge part of my life,” Derksen said. “I started out as a 19-year-old mom. Having to buy second hand and going to garage sales, it was more affordable for me to go and clothe my children. I was almost 17 when I first got my own apartment and to be able to afford to furnish my apartment, I did garage sales. Back then, you could get a truckload of stuff for $50.”
Energetic and always down for a chat, Derksen loves enriching her community with conversation. She’s also driven to take care of that community, regularly donating essential items from her shop for those in need.
“I work hand-in-hand with the Rainy River District Shelter of Hope for women. It’s a nonprofit organization that helps women in domestic abuse or in in hard times, and they help set them up with homes and furniture and everything. So, I will go and I will put together whatever they need. Whatever they need, I get.”
Derksen said she recognizes there are people who lack even the basics and are often in dire need, so she makes sure to leave any essentials she can spare for them to collect.
“I put out stuff in the front of my store,” she said. “It looks like a junkyard sometimes, but I have emotionally benefited from that so much, and other people have physically benefitted. I put out shoes and clothes in the winter. I put out sleeping bags. I put out blankets. I put out anything that I can. Mitts, hats, anything. In the summer, it’s shorts, it’s T-shirts, it’s bottled water. I do all that stuff because we really have a homelessness issue going on in this little town.”
Vintage Junky Thrift came out of Derksen’s personal passion for antiques and vintage goods that stand the test of time.
“I started to gravitate toward second-hand items,” said Derksen. “Then I started realizing I really enjoyed finding a good find. I would have a design in my mind and be like, ‘I really would love to have that in my home! I really love the way it looks, but who can afford to go to the store and buy that?’ So then, over time, I started to be able to find things at the thrift store that would accommodate my needs at an affordable rate. They’re well-made. They’ve outlasted generations of people.”
Not only did Derksen find herself loving the affordable nature of thrifting, but she fell in love with the history and craftsmanship associated with vintage items.
“When I find something, I’m like, ‘Wow! Can you imagine? This was in somebody’s home 50 or 60 years ago.’ I can imagine a little housewife making a pie in this. I find that vintage items have character,” Derksen said.
“There’s a charm and a feeling that you get when you hold something that’s been around for many, many centuries. It has a story, and I would rather fill my home with items that have been loved and have character. They have history and they’re unique. For me, it’s about getting that good find. It’s about saving money. It’s about enjoying the beauty of old items of the past and appreciating the quality.”
In her thrifting odyssey, Derksen has also learned life lessons that are hard to forget.
“I went to Ireland with my daughter, and I was so thrilled, I was like, ‘Oh! I want to go thrifting,’” she said. “In Ireland, their thrift shops are called charity shops, and they are literally the size of a closet. I finally said to one of the ladies, ‘I’m from Canada and we have Value Village that’s probably the size of the whole block and it’s stacked full. I find it so odd coming in and there’s only one or two shops in the whole city.’”
The proprietor’s simple response was one that has stuck with Derksen over the years: “We don’t live beyond what we need.”
“It just goes to show that instead of going and getting second-hand items and reusing, reducing, passing the belonging on to family or whatnot, and using them until they’re no good. We’re such a throwaway society,” Derksen said.
“It’s just a culture shock when you see that. So, I’m glad that I’m able to contribute to maybe helping that out. I’ve really noticed that the new generation is coming through, wanting to shop second-hand. I love that. It’s trendy to thrift. When I started out, it was almost a shameful thing.”
Her credo: thrifting is for everybody and there’s more to it than a fad – it comes with benefits for a society bent on getting and spending.
“There shouldn’t be shame in it. I really think that there’s such a taboo. For some people it’s dirty to wear thrifted clothes, or it’s for the poor, because society has made us think like that,” she said.
“I don’t think it’s like that, I think people honestly live way above their means. I don’t think that everybody should have to live in a $400,000 house, I think it’s ridiculous. I think that if more people thrifted and lived within their means, we wouldn’t have consumer debts. We wouldn’t have people keeping up with the Joneses.”
More than anything, Derksen wants people to feel at home in her store.
“I’ve people who have come in and laughed and said we need a little sign that said, ‘Onalee’s counselling service.’ For some reason, people come in and they feel so comfortable. I don’t know if it’s me as a person that makes them feel comfortable, or just everything.”
Her aim is making patrons feel at home and encouraging them to interact. “I want people to come in, feel comfortable and want to talk. Next thing you know, we’re talking about their family. We’re talking about little memories. That is what keeps me coming back every day. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. It makes sense to me in so many ways.”
