Heavy metal punks

Used horseshoes, broken rakes, old saw blades and discarded transmission gears. Where most folks see junk, 14-year-old Cody Campbell sees art – and maybe a trip to Hawaii. The teen is the owner and operator of Junk by a Punk, a business his older brother, Trevor, started three years ago, and recently handed down to him.

Campbell, his cousin Kyndra Paulson, and friend Joey Wallace create “repurposed metal yard art” in a shop behind the family’s South Hill home.

“I work on this after school and on the weekends,” he said. “Kyndra comes over when I need her.

“Yes, girls can weld, too!” he added with a grin.

The teens sell their wares at local craft shows. This year Campbell’s goal is to save enough for a trip to Hawaii, plus spending money.

His mother, Kim, suggested the catchy name, and it’s proven to be a big hit at the shows.

“People like it,” she said. “They laugh when they realize it really is a business run by kids.”

Whimsical chicken planters constructed from colorful Freon tanks, twisted rebar and fan blades decorate the Campbell yard.

“Trevor just made chickens, but I’ve expanded,” he said.

Tall whimsical flowers made from horseshoes and perched on rebar stems are now their biggest seller. The teen credits his mom for the idea.

“We don’t make just one flower at a time,” said Campbell. “We’ve got an assembly line process.”

According to his mom, craft shows have always been a good source of extra income for her family. She has her own wares to sell at shows through her business, Shabby Chic Dungarees.

“People appreciate the fact that we’ve trained our kids to work. They’re not sitting around playing video games,” she said.

She helps the youths by gathering the raw materials they need. Everything they use to create their art is recycled material. The horseshoes are from a farrier in Newman Lake. The gears, fan blades, and brake discs are culled from auto salvage yards and local machine shops. The rest of the labor is left to Campbell and his helpers.

“I want the kids to learn teamwork and social and business skills at a young age,” Kim Campbell said.

Cody doesn’t mind the dirty work.

“I like the welding, ‘cause it’s the easiest.” What he doesn’t care for as much is going to the craft shows – especially if they’re indoors,” he said, “Our stuff sells better at the outside craft shows. It’s in its natural element.”

If the teen tires of the work and moves on to other things, there’s a new generation chomping at the bit. According to Kim Campbell, Cody’s 11-year-old cousin is already asking to replace him when he retires.