Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

Preston Hollow resident James Henley and his sister Betty Nugent, affectionately known as Bettyann and Jimbo, have been running Junkadoodle on Lovers Lane for the past 15 years, and their bi-annual flea market is coming up this month. The business started as Henley’s ballroom dance studio and was gradually taken over by Nugent’s weird, funky finds — from vintage cameras repurposed as lamps to a crystal chandelier embellished with doll heads. But every so often after closing time, Henley clears out a small corner space to teach a clueless couple how to dance.

How did you start this place?
JH: I had a dance studio called Dance Time at Lovers and the Tollway for just over 11 years. I saw this corner. A guy was selling this little house, so I bought it. I started teaching ballroom dance, and Bettyann asked if she could sell some of her stuff in the studio. Then I thought it would just be easier to turn this into a store.

BN: When we opened, we were the only place around here. Nobody ever came this far down Lovers. So, to get people down here, we started doing a flea market in the parking lot. We’ve been doing it twice a year ever since. We have all types of vendors — from antique dealers to people who just have stuff they want to get rid of and would rather come here than have a garage sale. We have kids who sell their own handmade jewelry. For entertainment one year, we had an Elvis impersonator out front. But there were too many wrecks [on Lovers]. People were rear-ending each other. We had to stop that.

You still teach dance lessons in here?
JH: Yes, mostly weddings. Brides and grooms, fathers and daughters who just want to learn one song. They usually call me up and describe their piece of music as a waltz or a foxtrot or whatever. They’re never right. It’s interesting to me. You used to have standards like the cha cha or the rumba, and now they’re being put to modern songs like on “Dancing with the Stars.” I think it’s great. That’s what I’ve always liked anyway.

How did you get into the ballroom dancing business?
JH: I was looking in the paper, and an ad said, ‘Sleep until noon, travel around the world, and make a lot of money — apply Fred Astaire Dance Studio.’ I got a lot of training really quick. I worked there for a year and then moved to Dallas to work with the big boys. When I came to Dallas, Preston Center had five dance studios in that one little square.

Bettyann, where do you find your store merchandise?
BN: Florida, Canada, Connecticut, Austin, Corpus, Port Aransas, San Antonio … Wherever I’m traveling, I’m buying.

What are you looking for?
BN: Just whatever catches my eye. It’s a collection of the unusual. I like funny, funky stuff. It doesn’t matter how old it is or how much money it’s worth. I don’t care about any of that. If I like it, I buy it. I found these lamps made out of old, vintage cameras from a guy in Austin, who just happened to be passing through visiting his daughter. If people are looking for fine silver, I’ll send them down the street. I think we all [antique shops] on this strip support each other.

What inspired you to go junking?
BN: It was just something I wanted to do. I had always helped people fix up their homes. I thought it would be fun to do.

Does your house look a lot like this store?
BN: Exactly.

• Junkadoodle’s bi-annual flea market is 9 a.m.-6 p.m. March 31 in front of the shop, 4402 W. Lovers. For more information, call 214.350.5755 or visit junkadoodle.com.