Introducing Meghan
I love a good yard sale and from an entertainment value standpoint, I love a bad yard sale. I have been going to yard sales for 30+ years. My formative years were spent being dragged screaming on Saturday morning to either a yard sale or the dreaded fabric store by my mother. I spent years going to thrift stores, but I now favor garage sales – with the added estate or church jumble sale tossed in. I love getting to go into people’s homes, unless they have recently died – that is always creepy, but can yield some great finds. Plus, I’m nosy and getting inside a person’s home for a sale is one of the few socially acceptable reasons to look around.
A few things to know about me; I don’t haggle (very often), I carry cash, I am not rude, and I seem to have an uncanny knack for finding really good shit. It’s said that the early bird gets the worm, but coming to someone’s sale an hour early makes you a complete jackass.
My dream is to take a vacation to The World’s Longest Yard Sale: The 127 Corridor Sale. 450 miles of yard sales covering a few states!
I am already thinking about the first of many sales this season, with what I would call the “spring opener” or what our neighborhood calls the Annual Phinney Neighborhood Sale. The Phinney sale usually has around 150 sales each year and it usually draws 2,000 shoppers. Tightly packed streets of double parked cars, women running down the street at some feeble attempt to “get the good stuff” – as if we would be looking for the same items! It’s almost too aggressive and has the added sting of more families moving into the area (aka less old crap and more new baby crap) but I seem to get something good (should I jinx myself and say great) enough to bring me back each year.
Joe said,
November 18, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
Hi… Enjoying your blog… posted it to fellow Fiesta collectors on medimgreen.proboards61.com
Feel like I’ve been everywhere you’ve been and seen everything you’ve seen…
Have a great Thanksgiving.
-Joe
amy clifton said,
February 29, 2008 @ 9:54 am
I just found your blog after I googled “crappy yard sale”. I love you! Your stories could be mine, I swear! I moved down to hendersonville, nc and this area is mainly retired people from florida. By that you should get the picture of what junk is at the many thrift stores around here. (if not, think of the show “Golden Girls” and you got it) My biggest peeve is overpriced & dirty crap! Why oh why do people do this?? I just want to say something to them, but what? The upside is Asheville is minutes away and there is pockets of really cool things that can be found ex: exotic pier 1 import stuff and nice old furniture. Gone are the days when I lived in Michigan during the 1990’s and could find really cool 50’s and 40’s furniture and LAMPS! for next to nothing! I have a fetish for cool lamps to the point that I have to hide them from my husband. So anyway keep up your blog, it’s great. MY fav was your dream abou the white bell bottoms! I laughed my ass off. One question? do you have a big house? Where do you keep all of those books and knick knacks? take care amy
Jenny said,
February 29, 2008 @ 10:05 am
Hi Amy! Thanks for the nice words. I love knowing that there is someone out there googling “crappy yard sale.” Nice to hear about sales in your area, too!
Neither of us have particularly enormous homes (though we both have basements and speaking at least for myself, there is way too much crap in mine). For a partial answer to your question, may I direct you to our post on the Yard Sale Catch & Release Program.
Glad you’re enjoying the blog!
Jo Jo Stiletto said,
May 8, 2008 @ 12:09 am
I am so so joining you one day! I will share with you “Jo Jo’s Ten Unbreakable Garage Sale Rules” one day.