If you’re from Texas or a devoted follower of Western lifestyle and fashion, you must make a trip to Junk Gypsy in Round Top, Texas. The tiny town, population 99, draws visitors in with three major stops: Gypsyville, where Junk Gypsy has developed a compound that includes The Wander Inn and the store; Royers Round Top Café; and the Original Round Top Antiques Fair.
Once I wound my way through the hilly central Texas two-lane roads to Round Top, pulling into the parking lot was akin to locating the “X” on a treasure map. When I stepped through the door, all kinds of sparkling, silver, gold, fringed and sequined items awaited me and every other visitor. Welcome to Junk Gypsy!
Shop with Style
The pink Suburban parked alongside Highway 237 approximately 1 mile south of Round Top is the first clue you’ve arrived at a place that promotes uniqueness, applauds a Western rambling lifestyle, and curates items that fit those themes.
“Purveyors of the World’s Finest Junk” is how founders (and sisters) Amie and Jolie Sikes describe the Junk Gypsy store. The company was created by Amie and her mother, Janie, in 1998 to capitalize on the flea market finds easily located at the local antique markets. Today, the brand has grown to include an HGTV show, Junk Gypsies, which premiered in 2012; star-studded collaborations with Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley; and an annual event that draws fans from all over to Round Top, the Junk-O-Rama Prom.
The sisters still sell unique flea market-style items, but have also developed a style that is all Junk Gypsy. As soon as a shopper sets foot in the wood-paneled, tin-roofed store, it’s apparent the shopping experience will be memorable.
Something for everyone and nearly every style can be found: t-shirts, sew-on patches and stickers for those looking for a quick souvenir; a boot corner; a hat bar where shoppers can personalize their cowboy look; and clothes from full sequin dresses to flowy pieces perfect for Texas summers. For a Junk Gypsy home, you’ll find dishes, tables, and chandeliers, plus wine, spices and other food items.
The table of books, “hand-picked and road tested” by the founders, is located in the center of the store. Be sure to pick up Junk Gypsy: Designing a Life at the Crossroads of Wonder & Wander by Amie Sikes and Jolie Sikes. Miranda Lambert’s cookbook, Y’all Eat Yet? is what I picked up on my visit!
It can take several laps around the store to take it all in, and that can be exhausting. But a quiet sit outside the store, under large pecan trees, helps shoppers gain a second wind.
Stay a While
The Wander Inn is a perfect way to rest after a stop in Round Top’s Gypsyville. The inn, owned by the Sikes, invites visitors to “Get Lost With Us,” and provides a unique and entertaining way to do so.
You’ll drive under the thunderbird sign up to a rustic inn that is a completely renovated eight-bedroom home. Each room is crafted in its own theme: The Bandita room features lots of color and Old Mexico style, the Stardust has French-style headboards and chairs with Western décor, the Country Delight is just what you’d imagine, the Wanderlust has a Spanish-carved headboard above a queen size bed, the Rambler and Thunderbird rooms bring Southwest elements and a neutral desert color scheme, and the Vagabond adds funk and color.
The Sikes are now restoring the Gypsy Farmhouse, a 1952 Sears Kit House and the original farmhouse located on the Round Top property. There’s a waitlist to stay.
Thelma’s Garage could be the most “gypsy” of all. This space features two queen size beds, a coffee bar, and two soaking tubs under a black and white photograph of actor Brad Pitt from the movie Thelma and Louise. It’s perfect for a couple girlfriends on a road trip.
“We’ve housed film crews and been a veritable ‘halfway house’ for vagabond junk dealers, traveling musicians, iterant cowboys, rogue camper caravans and our gypsy friends hell-bent on wandering,” the sisters tout on the website. “We’ve designed our Pottery Barn collection here and hunkered down and wrote our book. We even welcomed our friend Miranda Lambert and became part of the magic that is [her song] ‘The Weight of These Wings.’ All of this has helped us create the Wander Inn.”
Rates vary, starting at $225 a night, and the waitlist is long. Go to gypsyville.com to start planning. Don’t miss the homemade biscuits provided for visitors each day!
Find Junk Gypsy
GPS: 1215 S. St. Hwy 237, Round Top, Texas 78954
Online: gypsyville.com
Call: 979-249-JUNK
Social: @junkgypsy
This article about Junk Gypsy appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
