Friday, June 10, 2005

The rain began about an hour ago. The frogs are delighted.
No garage sales tomorrow because of the rain. Today's sales were poor to miserable. My pal picked up a rusted Revlon lipstick holder asking the price. The seller sniffed, "Seventy-five dollars..." My pal gasped and the seller announced, "It's 40 years old and quite collectible."
Pal nodded and placed it back on the table. Pal knows more about market value of vanity items than does anyone in the Southeast. After getting out of the over-priced and pitiful items and back to the car, we began to laugh. Oh yeah, $75 bucks for a common, beat-up lipstick holder.
It's great that sellers feel good about the things they sell; pride of ownership and all that but at a tag-sale, junk is junk. Your old mothball smelling wool coat from 8 years ago won't sell for $35 unless it's a designer, immaculate condition piece and it's a good day.

Pal and I reflected on the different affects of sellers: pleasant, welcoming, afraid you'll steal their used tupperware lids, pushy because they need the money for rent, snobby because they let you on their property and their stuff is valuable.

My favorite sellers are Sophie, who has beautiful things, redecorates every year or so and sells her things for very fair prices; the local cathedral sales because the stuff is varied and the church people delightful and the Big UMC Church up county with almost too much stuff to dig through. All three of these sellers make for a great happy day of digging and buying. Treasures are to be found at each. Besides, when I see what Sophie sells, I can tell what is out of fashion. She lives in the most fashionable neighborhood and has clever, pretty taste.

Can you hear the frogs singing from where you are? I think they are praising God for rain and each other.

3 comments:

spookyrach said...

Ooohhh, fun! I wanna go junkin' with you. We told my stepdaughter, when she was little, that they weren't garage sales, they were treasure hunts. Took her years to figure it out for sure.

Karen Sapio said...

One day I announced to my kids, "We're going to the Neighborhood House Rummage Sale." They lept for joy and raced to get their piggy banks. At least I'm getting some of these parenting things right . . .

Theresa Coleman said...

I love garage sales, junking, flea markets and little antique shops in sleepy little towns. The love must be genetic b/c both of the kids like it too. My little one just blew all her savings on a 3 fox fur collar where one fox is biting the next foxes tail. She wants to wear it to church... I think I'll get her a nice pillbox hat to go with it. She'll match our pew of LOL (little old ladies.)