ST GEORGE, Utah — A small box filled with trinkets, handmade art and vintage treasures is giving St. George residents a new reason to stop, trade and connect.
Located on a post outside Agave Jones, a vintage shop in St. George, the free trinket trade box operates 24 hours a day, inviting anyone to take an item and leave something behind. Repurposed from a vintage medicine cabinet, the box reflects the same retro vibe that inspired the storefront. Nearby, a picnic table and disco balls have transformed the space into an informal gathering spot where collectors, artists and curious passersby can meet.
For Agave Jones owner Ashlyn Gubler, the box has become more than a place to exchange small objects. It has grown into a community of its own.
Gubler said the idea came from her coworker Hannah Leavitt, who sent her a video of a similar trinket box in another community and suggested they create one outside their store. Gubler liked the idea but initially worried about the potential problems. She wondered whether the box would cost too much, attract vandalism or become a place where people simply took items without contributing.
Instead, the response was the exact opposite.
“For the first few days it opened and we posted it, there wasn’t a time when there weren’t people at the trinket box trading,” Gubler said.
The box quickly filled with an eclectic collection of items, including handmade artwork, collectible figurines, pins, vintage pieces, books, beads and other small treasures. Gubler said the community has also taken ownership of the space. “People have helped keep the box clean, restocked it with new trades and even left supportive notes encouraging others to respect the area,” she said.
Gubler laughed and added, “I always say there are only two rules to the trinket box. Number one is to have fun and number two is don’t do anything illegal.”
That sense of community is part of what makes the trinket box meaningful to Gubler.
“So many third places, especially free ones, are disappearing,” she said. “With the trinket box and the picnic table, it has created a free, third space where people can talk to each other, meet new people and share creativity.”
The concept of a “third place” refers to informal social environments outside of a person’s home and workplace where people can gather and interact.
Gubler said she has enjoyed watching strangers strike up conversations at the table and people discover the store after first visiting because they saw the trinket box online or heard about it from someone else.
The box also reflects the philosophy behind Agave Jones, which centers on vintage items, reuse and giving objects another life.
Gubler created Agave Jones after deciding she wanted to remain in St. George to help care for her sick father while also finding a way to make a living. She transformed her grandfather’s former barbershop into the storefront that would become Agave Jones. Drawing on a long standing passion for vintage clothing, collectibles and home decor, Gubler created a space that honors those roots.
She said she wanted the store to emphasize the value of vintage items, particularly their durability, uniqueness and potential to be reused rather than discarded. The name itself reflects the store’s vintage inspired personality: Gubler had always loved plants, which led her to “Agave,” and while brainstorming names, she wanted to incorporate a vintage feel. She settled on “Jones,” inspired by the old fashioned term “jonesing,” creating a name that she felt captured the store’s vintage aesthetic.
She said vintage shopping can also provide an alternative to purchasing inexpensive, mass produced items that may wear out quickly.
“People can spend less on quality items that have already lasted several decades and are one of a kind pieces,” Gubler said.
For Gubler, that approach is about more than selling vintage goods. It is about finding items that already exist and connecting them with someone who will appreciate them.
The trinket box extends that philosophy outside the walls of the store.
Instead of selling or buying the objects, community members can simply exchange them. Something that may have lost its value to one person can become a new favorite for someone else.
Some of Gubler’s favorite trades have been handmade creations.
She recalled seeing a small mushroom made from concrete and hand painted by someone in the community. The creator had used an orange peel as a mold for the mushroom cap, then added a piece of wood for the base and painted the finished piece.
After seeing the creativity being placed in the original trinket box, Gubler will be adding a second box underneath it specifically for handmade creations. It is labeled “Arts & Crafts Trade.” Once open, the addition will give local artists and crafters another way to share their work while encouraging others to make something of their own.
Gubler hopes the space will continue to encourage people to put down their phones, talk to strangers, create something and share it.
Ultimately, she said, the goal is not simply to keep a box full of trinkets. It is to create a place where people feel comfortable stopping by, meeting someone new and leaving a little creativity behind.
Where to find it: The trinket trade box is behind Agave Jones at 21 E 150 N in St. George. The shop is open Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. The outdoor box is available 24 hours a day.
