As I drive down the road I make note of the colors jumping out at me. Spring is here. The fluorescent yellow, safety green, brilliant pink and convict orange, practically scream my name. Yard sale season is in full bloom.
When I was in Massachusetts, the signs read “tag sale,” instead. By any name, these treasure hunts let me know that the winter hibernation period has passed.
Aside from searching for items I need or didn”t know I needed, I can create a story in my head about the person who has pulled a portion of their lives into their driveway or yard.
I can gauge a person”s favorite color, what they collect, their hobbies, economic status and abandoned aspirations from what sits on tables, blankets, lawn or asphalt.
First I look the books over carefully. I follow by searching for practical items.
I narrowly missed the opportunity to nab an “Alice”s Restaurant Cookbook” that was autographed with about 10 signatures. I was trying to read the names before I knelt down to pick it up, when a woman in her 80s stealthily swooped in and purchased it for a quarter. I made a mental note to ponder only after pickup following that experience.
When my children were small these weekend excursions were fantastic outings. We talked, sang and shared the day. It also provided affordable means to pick up toys that they would enjoy, but soon outgrow.
Once I was fortunate enough to find a Mork from Ork Eggship radio for a dime, a piece of nostalgic history that spirals me back to the elementary school years.
I went to a sale in Beverly Hills years ago. There were homemade scones and espresso served for a dollar donation. The woman was selling racks of beautiful new dresses for $10 apiece. “Where did you get all of these?” I asked her. She told me that she was a designer for Nieman Marcus. Needless to say my girls and I left with a stylish wardrobe and completely thrilled.
For those hosting it”s a good idea to remove signs when your sale is over. Otherwise you may end up with someone like my friend Brice knocking at your door asking, “Are you having a yard sale today?” When the person replied that the sale was the previous weekend, he would tell them that they should take their signs down. Leaving signs up is a form of littering, aside from inconveniencing the same people who gladly sifted through your things and were willing to give you money.
Make signs readable; often a driver only has seconds to gather the information posted and it”s dangerous for customers to brake for yard sale signs.
Price the items and let people know when it”s acceptable to haggle.
Be prepared by having lots of change handy. Let your potential customers know where to park, so they don”t block neighbor”s driveways or cause traffic hazards.
Ask neighbors if they too would be interested in having a yard sale or if they want to bring a few items to yours. Neighborhood sales are often a big hit and offer an opportunity to share a day with the people who live around you, but may not share in social camaraderie often.
Patrons of yard sales should observe some basic etiquette. If the sign says the sale begins at 8 a.m., do not show up at 7 a.m. in hopes of getting “the good stuff” first.
Also, just because the seller has invited you into their yard or garage, it does not mean they”ve invited you into their home. It is impolite to ask to use the restroom in a stranger”s house.
My children and I used to map yard sales by reading the newspaper or Craigslist advertisements and if we saw unadvertised sales en route we stopped to check those out too.
Without too much shameless self-promotion, the Record-Bee has a pretty cool garage/yard sale kit when an ad is purchased, that includes signs, stakes, mounting materials, pricing labels, balloons, instruction sheets, inventory sheet and mini-signs for bulletin boards.
The old expression rings true for me that “One man”s trash is another man”s treasure.” I enjoy going to yard sales a great deal more than having them, which is why I am mindful to avoid overindulging with my purchases. I don”t want to have to haul my bargain finds into my own driveway thereby, tethering myself to the house for a weekend.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee news editor.
