*The title comes courtesy of Drake. I fell over laughing when he delivered this line as we sat down, actually more like 'collapsed', at the end of the second and last day of our Garage Sale. Now, you're either a Garage Sale Person or you're not. The "not" people are just creeped out at the idea of pawing through someone elses' things. The Garage Sale Person sees this activity as active recycling in congenial circumstances. Garage Saling is the true harbinger of Spring. Forget flocks of robins, forget mayflies, forget flowering Bradford pear trees, emerging daffodils, and tulips: You know Spring has arrived when the Garage Salers come out of winter hibernation.
As a veteran Garage Sale afficianado, let me tell you that it's been a long, cold, wet winter around Hurst, Texas, and we afficianados have been ready to bust out and garage sale. (Yes, you can actually use those two words as an action verb!) My true preference is to cruise other peoples' treasures, but this season was kicked off by holding our own Garage Sale.
We had the Cadillac of Garage Sales. First, there were superior signs with clear readable information you could grasp as you whizzed down the street trolling for sales. Second, since Spring weather in Texas is always dicey, OUR sale was inside the great room of our house. That was a genius call since the weather on the first day of the sale had constant 20 mph winds with gusts up to 40 mph. Our customers regaled us with stories of other sales holders chasing their merchandise as it blew down the street or into their neighbors' yards. No such problem at our sale. Third, we had excellent presentation with all the merchandise easily accessible including the clothing which was displayed on commercial quality Z racks. And, finally, we priced everything clearly and we priced the merchandise to MOVE. A big mistake novices make is they think their stuff is all platinum and price it accordingly.
I have to give kudos to Beverly "Junque" Naylor who taught me how to stage a sale efficiently with maximum time management during the preparation phase. A big thanks is also due to the two friends (Patsy and Sarah) who showed up to HELP during the sale. An important technique of a successful sale is to have a designated cashier so there's no confusion about who to pay. That's really important on the hectic first morning when we would have been overrun if not for the extra help.
I think Drake and I were both shocked at how much stuff we wound up selling. I'm not just talking about my clothes which I grieved for in an earlier blog. When we set up to sort and price on Monday, we realized that in the past 8 months, we had managed to collect a ten foot long by five foot high by 3 foot wide pile of boxes in our garage filled with items to be priced for our garage sale. How did I manage to have this much MORE STUFF! I had a garage sale last June. I cleaned my house out again in July and donated to the annual St. Paul UMC garage sale, and I still had this giant pile I had rooted out between last July and this March.
I guess this whole vagabonding scheme Drake and I have dreamed up really is a process. We both felt at the end of the Garage Sale that another milestone in making this dream happen had been passed. We did have a lot of stuff to sell, and the Garage Sale really symbolized our commitment to shed some of these possessions weighing us down. (Truthfully, though, I do plan to at least LOOK THROUGH the clothes that didn't sell. Whether I'll take back anything, I don't know. Don't tell Drake.) I'm joking, of course - well, sort of.
The truth is it's fun to watch other people find treasures among your sale items. "I've been looking everywhere for one of these!" "Oh, these are exactly the colors of my bathroom." "I love SAS shoes, and these are just my size." "I'm helping my daughter/son set up his/her first apartment." "I love to buy books!" And there are the collectors: "Do you have any old watches?" Do you have any tools, any fishing tackle, any BB guns?" "I buy unwanted gold." [Is that an oxymoron, or what?] "I collect pigs, frogs, cows, bells, teacups," - you name it, and somebody collects it. There are the puzzle people, the board game buyers, the toys for the grandkids buyers, the people furnishing the baby room or clothing the new baby. There are the it's for mission gatherers. And the near and dear to my heart: The canvassing teachers trying to find supplies, books, and decorations for their classrooms. Having a Garage Sale is like being at a long running bidding war. "Will you take a dollar for this?" "I really like this, but we're going to have to make a deal." What's your lowest price?" "I can buy this anywhere for $2; will you meet that price?" To really cause a frenzy, you start your half price sale at noon on Saturday. Oh, then the merchandise really waltzes out the door in the hands of very, very happy people. Even when the treasures were full price (relatively speaking) people were so happy to be out and about indulging in their garage saling hobby.
That was another hallmark of our Garage Sale. Because of our atrocious weather this year, this past weekend was really the kick-off of Garage Sale Season - yes, for you uninitiated, there is a 'season'. Having lived here and Garage Saled for almost 20 years, I know by sight and have a casual acquaintance with a legion of Salers just like myself. We run into each other at sales all the time. I know who buys books. I know who loves to talk. I know who has a competitive streak.
My favorite person who garage sales is Mrs. George. She was Sarah Lynn's second grade teacher. She's been a second grade teacher for 39 years, and she just signed a contract to teach for her 40th year next year. She's taught everyone. She knows everyone. I wouldn't be surprised if she's now teaching the grandkids of some of her earliest students. I run into her at least 3 times during the season, and it was great to be able to say good-bye to her when she came to our sale. Oh, Sarah Lynn, Mrs. George says to tell you how proud of you she is.
I feel sorry for people who don't garage sale. You're missing a whole subculture, an entire community of people who like face to face interaction, enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and like to wonder in amazement at what other people own and are willing to sell.
Without further ado: Here are our top Garage Sale moments:
"I can't believe we sold that." - A bag of wooden stakes. (I resisted asking if he was remedying a vampire problem.)
"Boy, this is a great floor." (I heard this about 25 times, and one woman even took pictures of my randomly laid in three sizes ceramic tile floor.)
"Is this house for sale?" (I guess having a completely empty great room except for tables set up with merchandise was a CLUE.)
Biggest clothing purchase: $38 - (Each piece of clothing at the sale was priced at $1.00 - see, I told you I had great prices.)
Item I couldn't let go of, so I priced it at what SOME people would say was a ridiculous price: My bicentennial bell (big, big bell). I marked it for $100.00. Suprise, surprise - nobody bought it - just like I planned.
Best Sale: The $.10 pink eraser that a five year old girl purchased on her own with just a little whisper from Mom that the dime was the littlest sized coin in her purse. I bagged that momentous purchase thanking her for her business to give the little girl the full customer experience. We both had a great time.
All in all - it was a great Garage Sale. Aren't you sorry you missed it? Oh, and we made enough money to pay for my new laptop twice over. I can hardly wait to break in new territory Garage Saling all over America.
