Book Review - Garage Sale America

When I was asked to do a book review on my most favorite and loved (if not obsessed) subject in the entire universe, I could barely say yes quick enough. I can't think of a subject more dear to my heart than a book on garage sales. In fact with this book under my belt, I am preparing for a massive community yard sale over in Seattle this coming weekend that features over 150 yard sales in a dense area. Side by side yard sales for an entire weekend.

When I first started reading Garage Sale America by Bruce Littlefield I had to get use to the male tone and writing style that included a few sides of cliches to go along with the book. I'm so spoiled by the female side of yard sale/thrift store descriptions in the blog world that it did take some time getting used to his writing voice. But I became quickly swallowed up into his own garage sale adventures where he would line up early for barn sales scoping out where to hit first or when he rented a huge Penske truck in order to hit 450 miles of the World's Longest Yard Sale. (which he says isn't technically the largest). I would find myself salivating each time he would share a story about a garage sale purchase. He always included a background story and price for the item. Even though thrifting is so much in my blood, I never would have guessed that I would get nearly as much enjoyment of reading other people's stories as my own thrifting experiences. By the end of the book, I discovered I found a long lost brother and considered inviting him out to Seattle to check out our sales. Then I remembered that we have similar taste and decided that I'd better keep quiet.

My favorite part of the book is the two page spread of his Penske truck garage sale haul. He lists out his $1000.00 bounty by item, price and a photo. I was so inspired by his coca cola cooler for $100.00 (the kind that used to sit in front of old stores or gas stations) that I had to find myself something similar. This last weekend I found a vintage Coleman, green and white cooler (1/8 of the size of Bruce's cooler) for $2.00. Just in time for our Memorial Day party. On Monday it was full of ice and cold beer. It was perfect.

I was a tad jealous as we took a tour of Bruce's Edgewater Farm. He described all of his buildings, (yes as in multiple) and how he has filled them with thrifted finds. I love, love, love his Recreation Hall complete with a barber's pole (one of his Penske haul finds) and a vintage phone booth ($40.00) so people could take their cell phone calls during parties.

I really enjoyed not only reading the stories behind what he had purchased, but learning how much he paid for something. I think the bargain is so much part of the enjoyment to this passion of thrifing. I love telling people how much I paid for something as much as I enjoy hearing how much they paid. This book is a very quick read and full of bright, colorful illustrations. The best reason to buy this book alone is the resource pages in the back. It has a Garage Sale Guide for the entire country. These are the large garage sales that have become so prominent on the summer calendars over the last decade. Because of this book, in two weeks, I am heading south to the border of Washington and Oregon to a 13 miles (+152 miles) yard sale. A friend and I are going together and planning the perfect girls weekend away. Bruce also adds a garage sale glossary for all those newbie garage salers out there.

I finished his book on a Friday and was so motivated to be out there garage saleing the following day when I found this: 

I came across the sale around lunch time. It was one of those sales where the neighbor up the street was having an advertised one so this women thought she would join the band wagon to take advantage of the passing traffic. My jaw dropped when she said I could have the set for $25.00. The chairs need a little bit of work but it is your basic turn key table set. They fit perfectly in the breakfast nook.

As garage sale shopping becomes more trendy it means us die hard salers have to be more creative in finding the good sales and finds. More and more sellers are telling me how much an item is worth on eBay and therefore pricing it as such. One of Bruce's "Do's and Dont's for Sellers" list "Don't Quote eBay or book values. Nobody Cares." I went to a sale on Saturday where a woman had a cookie jar for $75.00 telling me that she found that price on eBay. I agree with him that I don't care how much the price on eBay is, especially since many people don't know how to read the prices on eBay. Some people don't know that a completed price in red means an item didn't sell. My top tips for finding the good sales are:

-get to them before they officially open. They might not take in early birds but at least you can be first in the gate. Look through the ads to see what sale looks best. Word of warning though, the ads with the least amount of writing can sometimes be the best sale.

-look for sale notifications on old fashion bulletin boards. Not everyone is tech savvy and able do a Craig's list posting. I find the sales I want to go to are the ones where the couple brings out 80 year accumulation from their basement rather than list all of the ritzy branded items in the ad.

-drive by the main streets of town on Friday/Saturday and look for those non-advertised last minute sale signs on utility poles. The messier the writing the better.

-don't be afraid to ask if the seller has a certain item hidden away. I once asked if the seller had any Cd's for sale and was then shown to a "media room" where I found the mother lode of music and movies ($1.00 each), including a double CD of Jethro Tull-Living in the Past that is an original master recording worth around $250.00.

-check out Craig's list. Sometimes people are selling a houseful of stuff virtually without having an actual sale. I recently purchased 200 books this way. You never know what they might pull out of a closet for sale even if they didn't mention it in the listing.

And to finish this post, here's a party idea. Invite your book club friends to your house, feature this book and each of you bring your best garage sale find ever for a show and tell. Bring another item that isn't so cherished and do a garage sale item swap. It can even be your ugliest ever found item. You can talk about the book and exchange your own personal garage sale experiences over wine and chocolate. A good way to pass the time until the next garage sale.

Comments

[Sarah]

I love the Ebay advice. Nothing makes me turn around faster than "that sells for x on Ebay." Sell it on Ebay then!

We are going to the 127 sale again this year, but I wonder, what does he say IS the longest yard sale? I hear 127 goes into Ohio now.

[melissa]

ooh...if you don't mind sharing the info, where is the community yard sale in seattle going on?

thanks for the book review!

[leslie]

great post! i usually stick to thrift shops but i think you've inspired me to give garage sales another chance...

[Applebee]

I agree about the ebay thing. The point of garage saling is to find things cheaper than on ebay. Ebay's cheaper than retain, but a garage sale has to be cheaper than ebay or nobody will buy.

[Felicia]

Selena,
Thanks again for the lovely review & what a find!!!

The "garage sales" where I live are pretty woeful, so I'm living vicariously through you!

Cheers, Felicia

[Bruce]

apron thrift girl! thanks for the great review of GARAGE SALE AMERICA! i'm so glad you enjoyed the book. i'd love to come to seattle and got out saling with you! seattle is one of my fav places, and i'll pinkie swear not to scoop up the things you want... great site!

[KARA SPENCER]

OMG - how jealous am I of that table and chairs so 50's retro. Very cool
Kara
xx

[joyce]

great review thanks!

i'm gaga over your chairs and table. i passed up a set like that almost a decade ago and it still haunts me. it was turquoise and i would kill to have it now!

[Bruce]

that "haunting" feeling that joyce describes is what i call "the one that got away" at eats at you like a bad dream... i try not to let that happen too often... "turquoise table and chairs"... ouch. i hear you!

[Tami]

We live right off of 127 (the world's longest garage sale)...let me tell you what a sight it is! This year my husband will be taking the time off of work, we'll load up the trailer, start at the top and use the days to get to the bottom.

[Bruce]

tami, you're going to score at the 127 sale. i met lots of people who were doing it as a family vacation... some are in GARAGE SALE AMERICA... they were snagging the best souveniers!!!

[Colleen]

I think sometimes garage sale givers forget that a great number of their customers do resale. I'm certainly not going to buy an item for the Ebay going price from a garage sale or I won't make money on it. If you want Ebay prices then you need to learn the system and put it on Ebay yourself ;). Different venue different pricing structure *sigh*. Of course this changes if I really want the item for myself. This is when business cards come in handy in case the item doesn't sell at the garage sale and they want to unload it later.

[Vaxgirl]

Welcome back, Selena! I love your table set! I think we paid $45 for mine and it is way smaller and only has 2 chairs and I thought that was a good deal! Have fun at your sales this weekend, we have one coming up on Long Island too.

[Linda]

I to am interested in where the sale is between WA and OR. I live about 15 miles north of Seattle and love garage sales. I reguarly go to Cle Elum, Roslyn & Ronald, they have great sales. Love the table & chairs. We have been turning a working barn into a party barn in Cle Elum, we had the first wedding reception last Saturday, it was beautiful. We took several cut glass plates and epoxied a dish to the bottome for small cakes, lots of clear lights. So garage sales are our best friends.

[Guusje]

What a marvelous table and chair set - and for only $25! That is unbelievable!

[Andrea]

Shut up! That red table and chairs is making my knees weak.

[Andrea]

In a good way!

[carolyn]

Love I mean love that table and chairs what a brilliant bargain.

[Sandy]

I LOVE that table! woo-hoo! Fits perfectly too.
What will you do with the ripped chair?

The book sounds fantastic.
I'm heading out to sales tomorrow for sure.
Sandy
For Reluctant Enterainers

[Susan Tuttle]

Wow--what a steal--I'm going ga ga over that table. It fits so perfectly in your nook.

Susan

[Emmy]

What a fabulous deal on the vintage dining set. Way to go!!! :)

[Natalie]

You can find even more loot at GarageSaleNation.com They provide free citywide maps of aprox 25,000 garage sales each weekend in thousands of cities from Alaska to Miami.

[Natalie]

You can find even more loot at GarageSaleNation.com They provide free citywide maps of aprox 25,000 garage sales each weekend in thousands of cities from Alaska to Miami.

[Barb]

I'm still drooling from looking at your vintage table and chairs set and the price made me squeal. I'll have to get a copy of Bruce's book...it sounds like perfect reading for all thrift minded folk. I have all of Mary Randolph Carter's JUNK books (GARDEN JUNK is still my favourite...the kids got it for me as a Christmas gift one year). From her website, she sells I BRAKE FOR JUNK car stickers and documents her sojourns into all places heaped with junk. All the best on your giant community yard sale venture.

[tammy g.]

The yard sales here are so lousy I hardly bother with them. well, to me they are - some people might like that stuff...I guess what I mean is I like American or English stuff & most are gaudy things from very different countries because of the city I live in. I have yet to hit one that has vintage anything decent. I also think that a lot of people just don't want to waste their time doing yard sales so they take it to thrift stores, where I tend to go to find actual things I like. But, the antique dealers hit those shops too because antique row is on the same street.
I can't even imagine finding a 50s table/chairs like you did for that price! Here they would be asking for big $$$. The major flea market is extremely pricey now - I haven't been in over a year for that reason. eBay is getting completely ridiculous...I pretty much have decided to stick with whatever I find at the thrift stores & that way it helps the community (except they can be pretty pricey too!)