Junkin’ Market Days Brings Music, Food & Unique Finds to Fargo

So she started the first Junkin’ Market Days event in 2021 in Sioux Falls, SD. Fargo had its first event later in the fall of that year. But how did she get people to buy in so quickly?

“It kind of happened by surprise. I had been attending larger events in places like Minneapolis, and I wanted to bring something similar to Sioux Falls… That first event is always the hardest to get people to commit to. What I did was travel to events in multiple states, meet people in person, tell them about the business and the event, and personally invite them. That face-to-face contact makes a huge difference—people feel much more comfortable… Because of those personal connections I established, I was able to hold the first event in Sioux Falls with 120 vendors, and literally thousands of customers attended,” Bamsey said. “I knew that if it worked in Sioux Falls, it would work in Fargo because the community is great at supporting small businesses. When I hosted the first event in Fargo in the fall of 2021, I couldn’t believe it—thousands of people showed up to support. That’s just how Fargo is; they want small businesses to succeed.”

The Business Structure

Bamsey still runs and promotes the events in Sioux Falls and the Fargo events which take place every spring and fall. However, their are about 30 events a year in multiple states including: Arkansa, Illinois, Kansas,. Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and, of course, North Dakota and South Dakota.

“We are in multiple states because I teach women how to organize events in their own communities,” Bamsey said. “We do this through a license agreement. Essentially, these women are renting or leasing a territory for a set period of time and paying a fee. In return, they receive training on how to run the event, along with all the branding, website setup, and other essential tools. This saves them a lot of time because, as an event promoter, you have to handle everything— accepting payments, marketing the event, managing vendor applications, contracts, and more. All of that is already figured out for them. I provide the platforms, train them, and even attend their first event with them.”

New for Fargo in 2025

“This year, we’re focusing more on creating an experience. That means incorporating live music, food trucks, and a sip-and-shop atmosphere,” Bamsey said. “We’re also looking at adding demonstrations and make-and-take activities, making it more of an interactive experience rather than just a shop-and-go event. The number of vendors has grown, and I’ve also brought in multiple vendors from other states, which introduces new and exciting products to Fargo. We’re seeing a lot of trends, like permanent jewelry and hat bars—whether it’s trucker hats with emblems or cowboy hats with burned-in designs. I actively seek out vendors with unique items and limit them to just one or two per event to reduce competition. The goal is to continuously bring in fresh selections and out-of-state vendors to give the Fargo community a compelling reason to come shop.”

Interested in attending?

Head to: junkinmarketdays.com/tickets

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