One man’s trash

If you’ve ever walked down North Street in Bedminster, you’ll have noticed the choc-a-bloc treasure trove that is Junk City – a hugely successful family business and one of the longest-running second-hand shops in Bristol. We met the man behind the shop, snooped around its overflowing warehouses and learned how he made other people’s clutter his life’s work.

Bargain-hunting induces the same dose of excitement in many adults as a treasure hunt does in children, and Junk City – known to many as Elizabeth’s Place until it changed its name back in 2015 – has the allure of an overflowing trove just waiting to be pillaged.

From the outside, the North Street building looks like a slightly more jam-packed version of your average second-hand shop, but venture through the towering piles of end tables, futons and microwaves and you’ll find yourself in an fully intact Victorian courtyard surrounded by warehouses full of every piece of furniture and household appliance you can think of.

“This is what 43 years looks like,” says owner Mike, casting a fond eye over his ramshackle kingdom. “Second-hand selling isn’t rocket science but it’s where the money is,” he insists. “When people move or when they die we clear their properties. One’s man trash is another man’s treasure, isn’t it?”

“I know every piece of stock I got,” he says tapping his temple, which seems hard to believe looking at the various sheds and outhouses piled up to the ceiling in a manner that seems far from orderly.

Four generations have worked at Junk City since its conception in 1973, and with Mike and his wife Maureen finding it more and more difficult to handle the everyday running of the business their grandson Alex is making plans to take it in a new direction.

“When I bought this place I gave next to nothing for it,” Mike tells us, “but now it’s a prime spot. I’ve never wanted to move before and I don’t really want to now, but when I do walk out the door I won’t ever look back. You have to move with the times and adapt don’t you?”

After four decades of trading on North Street the property has now been sold to a friend, and will soon be converted into flats when Mike and his family up sticks to a local warehouse that will better house their extensive repertoire.

“It’ll still be around in 50 years, I know that,” Mike says of his life’s work. “We’ve definitely been the most successful business in the street. I’ve seen hundreds of them come and go, and they all set the world on fire with their big plans and fancy signs, but they don’t last. After all this time, at least I can say we know what we’re doing.”

Visit Junk City at 9 North Street, Bristol, BS3 1EN