We spent some time last week diving
into the dust in the basement, the cobwebs in the garage loft, and the mouse
nests in the shed.
We then hauled furniture up the stairs and heavier objects across the yard. I sat at night sorting, evaluating, and finally attaching price stickers. Friday night we loaded the cars with long tables for display, canvas chairs to sit in, and boxes and bins and bags.
We then hauled furniture up the stairs and heavier objects across the yard. I sat at night sorting, evaluating, and finally attaching price stickers. Friday night we loaded the cars with long tables for display, canvas chairs to sit in, and boxes and bins and bags.
Saturday
we leapt rolled eagerly unenthusiastically out of bed and were out of the house by 7 a.m. We drove over to our nephew’s driveway in
a neighboring town, dragged everything out of the cars, and set up shop.
My
nephew’s neighborhood holds a massive tag sale every autumn. A tag sale that
encompasses street after street and triggers sporadic intervals of traffic
gridlock. There are vendor trucks and occasionally you’ll see a tow truck
hauling off a vehicle blocking the road.
One
of the biggest challenges is to stay with your own merchandise and avoid
shopping through someone else’s, bringing back more fodder for your basement,
garage loft, and shed.
Our venue held our two tables- old
baseball cards, items not worthy of re-gifting, and tools so arcane they needed
signs to explain them.
My nephew’s in-laws’ section –
holiday-themed items, old toys, children’s clothing.
And my brother-in-law’s area –
entire dining set, lawn mower, lime spreader
My nephew and his
wife? On a cruise.
 |
| The kids in the extended family brought their old toys, made a fat profit, and spent much of it at at our area, buying old trading cards. |
We sat and caught up with family
news, grilled in the back yard, chatted with a candidate for the State Senate who strolled through, and traded wise cracks with shoppers. At 2 p.m. the first drops of rain arrived, but the
customers were thinning anyway. We packed up and headed home. After all that,
we made about $60, working out nicely to about $10 an hour – oh, wait, there
were two of us. Make that $5 an hour. And that doesn’t count the hours we spent
in preparation.
Know
anyone who wants a high chair? 
Sounds like a success to me. There are things gone and a little money in your pocket.
ReplyDeleteI went through a city wide tag sale in Wisconsin recently. My friend Ann has a good eye for dog blankets and animal crates for her kennel, and taught me "the eye" too, as we did drive by scans and occasional stops. What fun.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun type of day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun type of day.
ReplyDeleteThat high chair looks a lot sturdier than the plastic one I had 15 years ago.
ReplyDeleteWe bought that in 1970 as a job lot of used furniture for $200. This included a secretary, 2 drop leaf tables, a dry sink, and a couple of bureaus. That high chair has supported my two kids, my two nephews, and two of my grandchildren. (The youngest seemed to go right from a babe in arms to pulling a chair up to the table. Not hard to tell he's the third.)
DeleteCan't believe that high chair didn't go. You are right, the challenge is to not come home with other peoples "stuff".
ReplyDeleteThe thing I hate about having a yard sale is putting everything that did not sale back in it's place. Yard sales are fun though. I need to have another big sale.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. One year I drove directly from my nephew's to the Goodwill and left everything there.
DeleteStill, you enjoyed yourselves, didn’t you? That’s priceless.
ReplyDeleteYep. There aren't many entertainments where you actually make money, however small!
Delete