Signs of the Season: Yard Sale

It is a sign of spring: Yard Sale and Garage Sale signs popping up like Trillium all over the place, on the main roads and way off the beaten path. Comes with spring cleaning. A form of recreation for the shoppers. A lot of work for the people doing the sales. A chance to run into old friends and make new friends. A treasure hunt!

Yard Sales, estate sales, garage sales: flea markets and farmer markets. The call to me is loud and enduring. How many generations of my family made a living off of trading and selling? Oh, just a few. My Dad and Uncles were well known for it. It gets in your blood, you know.

In my case, I love them because I am a story teller, a nosy bugger, with an eye for value and good things!

You just never know what you will find, either! A couple of years ago, suddenly fencing foils were appearing at multiple yard sales. Sauna cabinets, too. Remember those from the old TV sit coms? I have seen cadaver tables at one, a coffin cart at another.

I go to estate sales with mixed feelings. Quiet respect for the loss experienced. Avid curiosity of the life or lives lived. The story teller in me finds all sorts of things of interest! A recent estate sale had two things that piqued my interest: A photo of an airplane and a copy of a patent. There are a lot of stories just with those two items, and I plan on reconnecting with the family to at least get the love story out of them.

I love seeing the houses at estate sales. So many innovations for storage and décor! House breathe their memories.  Quite often you will see the pencil marks showing how the children have grown. A list by the door at one sale reminded the man of the house to make sure he had his keys, a handkerchief, eyeglasses, medications all taken; notes to keep upright and walking.

It is fun to see how people repurpose items!

Flea markets and farm markets are a lot of fun to visit.  A different kind of garage sale with lots of interesting food, crafts, antiques, and just plain ole stuff. You can

Copemish Flea Market in the 70s

find all sorts of antiques that will make you think, “Good gravy, I used to have this! Wonder what ever happened to it? This is sure worth a lot of money! I could get rich on my old stuff! “

I kind of miss flea markets with livestock, but things keep on changing.

While I love those TV shows like Antiques Roadshow and Pickers, I think they have kind of spoiled the hunt for some of us. Sometimes these shows and Ebay push prices up too far, and it is hard for both the seller and the buyer to be kind about these sort of things.

You sure can find some fancy items at some sales!

Now here is a fun idea for you folks to do while enjoying your summer yard sales and garage sales: Make up a list, like a scavenger hunt list or maybe even Yard Sale Bingo. Search for things like a hairy pig, a painting of cows, ceramic happies (those ceramic children that everyone seemed to have for sports or what have you.), board games or puzzles, macramé art… the possibilities are endless! Whoever wins gets their choice of lunch. Better yet, find a white elephant type object to be a traveling trophy!

Have fun, and don’t forget to get some good stuff at these sales!