CHRISTMAS with a Dash of Retro

JESSICA RICHTER, THE OWNER OF A DÉCOR POP-UP SHOP CALLED AT HOME WITH JESSI DEE, WAS BORN AND BRED TO BE A FLEA-MARKET SHOPPER.

- AUTUMN KRAUSE

“I have been going to flea markets since I was a child,” she says. “My grandmother loved flea markets and thrift stores, so I have many memories of searching for old treasures with her.” It’s a passion that’s carried into her adulthood, and she’s now a full-fledged junker who is always on the hunt for one-of-a-kind pieces—while enjoying the one-of-a-kind people she meets along the way. “It’s about the people,” Jessica says. “There’s nothing better than talking with fellow junkers. Their stories about their finds are always so genuine and enthralling.”

Jessica herself is one such person. She always goes the extra step and researches her finds so she can learn the history behind them, which allows the pieces to be conversation starters. When she heads out on the hunt, she has no shopping list, saying, “Never, ever do I head into a flea market with a specific item in mind. I find things that speak to me, that pull at my emotions.” She tells people that if you find something you love, you’ll always find a place for it in your home, and that’s always been true for her.

FLEA-MARKET FINERY