In the midst of mourning a friend’s loss, they met. Before long it was undeniable, they had found more. Each was the shoulder the other needed as they struggled to regain balance after an event that shook their world. They hadn’t just found anyone though, they had found ‘the one’.

Brandon and Emilee weren’t your typical dinner and a movie kind of couple. In their journey of getting to know each other, they antiqued. The more they rummaged through one man’s trash, they found something they both treasured… rummaging together. Finding awesome gems was, indeed, fantastic. However, it wasn’t always about what they found as much as it was about doing something they both had come to love and doing it together.

For 4 months after Brandon proposed in Pigeon Forge, they imagined, dreamed, designed, and hand-made all of the gorgeous details for their wedding.

On May 4, 2013 they said “I do” to a life that was certain to be full of love and laughter. And rust and dirt.

When wedding planning had ceased and things returned to their normal state, it dawned on them that designing and hand-making everything for their wedding was more than something they could just hang up in the garage. They had a raw talent and eye for repurposing vintage finds into practical and even innovative new pieces of work.

Planning began. They regrouped, organized inventory, and started working on the very beginnings of a business plan to launch Refunked Junkies. Both still working their full-time jobs, Brandon and Emilee used the remainder of their free time to move their dream forward.

They started their etsy shop and populated it with pieces they were able to create in their spare time.

Brandon and Emilee don’t just go to antique malls on Saturdays. They actively search new and creative spots for materials to repurpose on their weekends, their weeknights, and even during vacations. So antique malls, sure. But don’t forget thrift stores, random mom-and-pop antique shops they see along the road, abandoned houses, and even individual sellers they have sifted out of the extensive amount of posts found on Craig’s List. They leave no stone unturned. They are always searching for unique or aged raw materials to rework into something new or improved.

Not only do they invest their time, but they invest their heart and soul in this because it has become something that binds them together. It’s one of those exceptional situations where the person creating the work cares just as much about the integrity of it, the meaning behind it and the final product, as the person who makes it a part of their home.