On my way back to Christchurch I passed through the small town of Waikuku and an old junk store next to cafe, gallery, and antique shop. I stopped for a coffee and decided to check out the antique store, gallery, and junk store. I love junk stores because of all the funny things you can find there, stuff that you’re pretty certain is worthless to anyone.

Among the old phones, girl guide annuals from the 60’s, rusty car parts, orphaned soft toys, musty clothes, and countless other relics, was this broken old plastic doll. Limbless aside one severed arm, the store owner was showing more than a little optimism with the price tag of $5. On the tag was written the words ‘fix me’ which seemed more hopeless than a worthy challenge.

I was laughing as I took the picture of the broken old doll. Unlike much of the junk on display, this doll was proudly presented inside a glass case next to other over-priced landfill fodder like an RAC aluminium ash try for $5, a dented petrol cap for $4, and an old glass bottle for $28.

I found myself wondering who might buy a limbless old naked plastic doll, or any of the other seemingly useless rubbish for that matter? Someone must do though. How else could such a place stay open? It just proved to me that once again the truth in that old saying; “One mans trash in another mans treasure.”