A Cornucopia of Yard Sale Treasures
This is about two years of amazing things found at yard sales, from 2009 to 2010.To me, what is most amazing about this eclectic collection of crazy stuff is that every item has a story. There was a meeting, there was bargaining, laughter, jokes told, gardens admired, recipes exchanged, and above all… There were people.
I have certain rules about yard sailing. I will not buy anything from someone who I don’t like. Every item has a memory and I don’t want that memory to be bad. I bring these things into my home, honestly some things I resell, some things I give to friends, and a lot of things I keep and use myself. I don’t want to have and use things that have a feeling of bad karma.
My bargaining philosophy is that both parties should walk away happy. I never tell people their belongings are not worth what they’re asking. I’ll say, “that’s a great price! Would you be willing to take half?” If you’re nice and you treat people with respect they almost always say yes. It’s so much more about the interaction and the conversation than it is about the actual item.
I love to look into people’s lives, see their gardens, hear their stories. I love talking to them, laughing with complete strangers. I often run into the same people year after year and even usually remember what I bought from them the last time they had a yard sale. It’s hard and it’s fast, I hit a lot of sales in one day and I meet a lot of people, but you are never moving too fast to stop when you meet someone really nice and spend a little time with them.
