I've just had a revelation.
My junk is not that interesting.
Once a year, on a weekend in mid-July, my city hosts what is billed as the World’s Largest Indoor Garage Sale. Professional vendors and regular folks who want to cast their possessions out to the public come to a parking structure and take over three or four floors. Some come from out of state just for the opportunity.
I’ve made the trek almost every year, even when I didn’t live in Royal Oak. The first time out, my now-22-year-old was just a baby in a collapsible stroller. Back in the city’s heyday, when the economy was flush and downtown merchants didn’t have to be competitive, the Garage Sale was a big deal, drawing people from all over with its carnival atmosphere. It’s where I first saw Jack Kevorkian in one of his blue sweaters, but except for that stint in jail, he’s all over town all the time.
Parking is a pretty iffy proposition here, where the streets are mostly residential and narrow. I live four blocks away so I walked. Garage Sale traffic was light this year, even though most of the downtown merchants were holding a sidewalk sale in conjunction with the big event. There was no need for the funeral home next to the parking ramp to be offering premium spaces at $5 a pop. I doubt they made much this weekend.
Garage Sale weekend is normally one of the hottest of summer. Not so this year, 2009 – the year of the Bummer Summer. Global warming be damned, the skies have been gray, foggy, and cold as much as they have been warm, bright and sunny. I had to wear a hoodie and jeans.
I’m not a garage sale fanatic but I don’t mind hitting a few every once in a while. My mother-in-law was in antique sales and schooled me on the advanced science of looking for decent junk. We would delve into the trash cans first before approaching a real sale. Most people don’t know what they are doing and have no idea about value. She was once given a box full of “trash” and spent the next three months selling it in her store, netting over $90.
Article comments
1 - roger nowosielski
Are you saying, Joanne, this is symptomatic of the Depression (yes, I called it by its right name)? One should think that garage sales would be popular in hard times. When I was in the Bay Area (barely a year ago), they had regular flee markets on weekends. But that was a year ago. Things aren't better now, only worse.
What's the matter with the Culture section, BTW? Hardly anyone responds. It may be a waste of time to post your stuff here.
2 - Joanne Huspek
Roger, you are right about the response. Actually, have you taken a look at the Book and the TV/Video section? Very little response too. Like I tell people, Roger, I'm here building a platform twig by twig. :-)
3 - roger nowosielski
Well, Joanne, it ain't gonna happen if culture is not the people's agenda. But they sure like their diversions, like DVDs and movies.