We Finally Know What Happened To Mary Padian From Storage Wars
Mary Padian made a splash when she joined the cast of "Storage Wars: Texas" in Season 2. When it ended, producers weren't ready to let Padian fade from the spotlight, so they asked her to move to California to participate in the flagship show, "Storage Wars." Her knack for finding bizarre vintage pieces and turning trash into treasure is exactly how she got the nickname "The Junkster."
Padian didn't always know she would be dumpster diving for millions of viewers watching at home. She studied photojournalism at the University of Texas — where she got her first glimpse of fame while being tailed by Secret Service on campus, thanks to her famous roommate — and began her career as an assistant editor position at Architectural Digest in New York. Homesickness brought her back to Texas, where she opened a brick and mortar antique shop called Mary's Finds. As Padian told D Magazine, that's where she was discovered by a producer who was filming nearby.
Padian's savvy auction bidding techniques secured her a regular spot on "Storage Wars" by Season 6. Throughout her time on the show, she rescued an innumerable amount of so-called junk, and even made a lifelong friend in her co-star, Brandi Passante. Since leaving "Storage Wars," the vintage connoisseur has seemingly picked her Texas life back up, while keeping her fans in the know about her thrifty adventures and new creations on the internet. Now, she also seems to be focused on her business and philanthropic ventures.
Mary Padian is super active on social media
Mary Padian was a series regular up until the end of Season 12, which aired just before the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this writing, Padian made her last appearance on "Storage Wars" in the first episode of Season 13 (which aired in 2021), when she accompanied Brandi Passante — who left the show and came back that season — to an auction in Santa Ana. Passante explained that she wanted to bring her friend on one last California auction before she moved back to Texas. Padian has never confirmed why she left the show and moved back to The Lone Star State. However, it could have had something to do with wanting to be closer to her relatives, as she told her Instagram followers that "family is everything."
Since leaving the show, Padian has cut back her time in the spotlight, but hasn't completely gone off the grid. She is fairly active on her Instagram and Facebook, documenting brand deals and fun Texas events. On her TikTok, Padian gets real about some of the creepy comments she receives from fans, including the wild emails in her inbox, from a person confessing they want children with her to one even requesting that she send him fast food. That hasn't deterred Padian from handing out personal messages to her fans; according to a 2023 post on X, formerly Twitter, Padian is also on Cameo — in case anyone wants a "happy birthday" from their favorite reality star.
Mary Padian stays busy with her business and philanthropy
Social media is also a place where Mary Padian promotes her business, Mary's Finds. It seems like she doesn't have a physical shop for her shop anymore. However, her eye for vintage gems can still be found in flea markets and on Marysfinds.com, which boasts "an eclectic mix of handmade, vintage & one-of-a-kind home goods I have collected from treasure hunting around Texas." Padian even makes her own plushies with scrap fabric, also sold on her website.
But Padian isn't just rummaging through yard sales in her spare time. She has been dedicated to promoting the cause behind Ubuntu Life, a Kenya-based lifestyle brand who "make high-quality, handmade products that provide sustainable and meaningful employment for our community," per their mission statement. In April 2019, Padian posted about the non-profit brand on Instagram, explaining that she had teamed up with them to sell handmade bracelets on her website. "As a non-profit business, Ubuntu offers their Mums [female artisans from the Maasai tribe] meaningful jobs with above-market wages and benefits, while generating revenue that supports their special needs center," she wrote in her post. Suffice it to say, Padian has found success off-screen. However, it doesn't make the hope for her return to "Storage Wars" any less prevalent.