Damascus City Wide 2011

The Tibetan Book of the Dead (paperback), and a VHS tape, “Yard Sales”, a skit by Phyllis Diller, were two of the handful of items I found at this year’s trek to Damascus, VA for the Citywide Yard Sale. My rickety rolling cart was only half full by day’s end.

This year found me “off my game”, having been robbed of all my cash the day before after leaving my purse in the car during a hike on Whitetop Mountain. You avid thrifters know what I mean when you’re having an “off” day…the treasures seem to stay hidden, you feel overwhelmed, and you miss some good scores due to procrastination. Riding in the backseat down VA Hwy 58 was not a plus for mental acuity either.

My first stop was the B&B on Main Street where Rosie P. found the infamous velvet chartreuse sofa last year. Still the warm and welcoming sellers, but this year’s couch was a tattered sofa bed, with zippo appeal. These folks always have great stuff, but the pickings were slim this year, although I did score a lovely dress that will serve me well for a Fall wedding.

For old time’s sake, we did hang out on the beige sofa bed for a photo, just like last year, with the blooming rhododendron backdrop, but it was nothing like the photo shoot on the charming chartreuse divan. Well, I DID hold up my copy of The Tibetan Book of The Dead for color….

My companions, husband and our pal Jim from Durham, wanted to lollygag and walk at a slower pace so it didn’t take me long to ditch those two guys and begin a frantic scan of the town hauling my noisy rolling cart up and down the side streets. Biggest disappointment was finding that my favorite seller last year was not set up this year. It was her house where I’d found the Paul Klee print and scores of funky clothing, jewelry, and music….SO, “wushhhhhhh” goes the wind from my sails.

I’d been procrastinating about a green boiled wool purse, made in Ireland, tags still attached for $5 that’d I’d left a few streets back. Off I gallop, rolling cart screeching over the pavement, and, “Wushhhhhhh…..” again, SOLD.

See what I mean about being off my game?

At least I can report that I did find a few things for Rosie P., a plastic bagful of silverware and a retro plate, both of which were purchased after I posed the question, “would you take…..” which worked for those items, but not for the hugely funky Bakelite clip on earrings. Seller was firm with $4. There are some things I can live without.

My finale was getting back to my car and finding the doors locking and unlocking, lights going off and on….Me standing on Main Street looking all around in puzzlement, and my two companions (both men in their 60’s) hiding behind the bushes having a great time watching my confusion. Alas, Damascus, 2011.

"You take a dallah!"

“You take a dallah? I give you a dallah? You pay me twenty dallah cleaning fee for this…”

This from our recent Facebook post about a Boone yard sale “regular” who arrives at every sale loud and demanding, and wears down the seller until they will do anything to get her off their property.

Not good form. And we can’t help but speculate that this person is a “flipper”, that is someone who buys cheap and sells the goods somewhere else (flea market, Ebay?).

And this is certainly NOT in the spirit of what Secondhand Rosies embrace as joyful, creative hunting with opportunities to forge new friendships along the way.

But can you bargain? Oh, YES! And here are some tips:

*Don’t expect to get the best bargains during the first hour of the sale. That Felix the Cat clock you eye at 8:01 a.m.? You just may have to pay full price.

*Sometimes the seller is parting with an item of sentimental value, and if you show a real love and appreciation for that item the seller may let it go for less. It’s happened to me, and I’ve always promised the seller that it will be well loved in its new home.

*It never hurts to say “Will you take…..” All they can say is “no”, or make you a counter offer. Know when to stop if the seller seems reluctant. If you want it that badly pay the price.

*If the sale is raising funds for a worthy cause wait until the organization lowers the prices. Our “karmic” rule of giving back.

*Best time to bargain would be the last hour of a sale. It is then that you can often offer a ridiculous amount and have it accepted. Most sellers do not want to pack up the merchandise.

*Clothing is often the easiest item that you can barter. And if you find a little tear or stain it should be expected that the seller will reduce the price.

*Never, ever, ever, use the phrase “Jew down”. Bad form, culturally insensitive, and bully like. “Will you take……or what will you take” a much softer forms of approaching a deal.

*Know when to walk away. Last year, close to noon on a hot summer day, I offered a group of young women 50 cents for the paperbacks they were selling for $1 each. No deal they say. I leave, shaking my head. Our public library sells used paperbacks for 50 cents. Rosie W.

28 hours in Jasper, Indiana

It is 11:30 on Tuesday morning when anti-freeze sprays across the front of our Toyota truck while driving down I-64 in southern Indiana. My husband begins a tirade of choice words as he hits the hazards and pulls over and off of the next exit ramp. Staring at the Ferdinand/Jasper sign, we gather our thoughts and call for a tow. Too far away from our homeland of Illinois and 7 hours from our home in NC, we are taken to the local Toyota dealership in hopes that maybe it was just a hose that blew. After the initial diagnosis of a cracked radiator (exhale), we are told it would take a day to get one in, we begin to make plans to spend the night. Luckily, the dealership gave us a loaner van. We move the dogs, the baby, and some choice luggage and begin to make our way around town. Jasper,Indiana is a deeply German Catholic community boasting a low unemployment rate and a Top 10 Small Towns in America Award. It is time to make a margarita out of our bowl of lemons. We decide to go on the thrift store hunt----a common fallback strategy that seems to cut our stress levels immensely in times of near crisis. Three thrift stores serve the Jasper, Indiana community. The Salvation Army was our first stop. JACKPOT! I love these small town thrifts that seem to be virtually unpicked. Thirty minutes uncovers tons of finds--.30 here, .50 there, $1.99 for a University of Indiana t-shirt(Go Hoosiers!), you could not beat it. With a large box of goodies tucked away in the mini-van, we decide to call it a day (it is nearing 4pm by now and it has been a LONG day) and go check in at the local Days Inn. On our way there, we pass a St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store---megastore--similar to the one in downtown St.Louis. I had to catch my breath and asked my husband pull over to check the hours. 12-5 Tues-Saturday. They had a free bin out front ( this made my wheels turn)-- I knew this was a thrifters paradise inside those doors. We promised to return at noon Wednesday. The parking lot was packed this late in the afternoon, which affirmed my intuition. We settled into the Days Inn for a storm filled night in Jasper, featuring dinner at the local German restaurant, Schnitzelbank, as well as some local microbrew tastings. My husband enjoyed the Wurst Platter, which featured a bratwurst,bockwrust, and knackwurst(he wanted me to write this). I had the Gruner Spinat casserole, potato pancakes, and the spatzle. We felt the German blood run deep through our veins with this meal.
We checked out the Goodwill on Wednesday morning and it was nothing to write about, surprisingly. At 11:45 we passed the St. Vincent De Paul store and noticed that there was already a long line waiting to get in. This blew my mind, I thought, is everything in there free? what is going on? is it half price Wednesday? I could not wrap my brain around the idea that folks would line up to get into a thrift store that was open 5 days a week. Searching my memory, I could not pull out another example of this behavior--maybe a handful of folks lined up, but not a dozen or two-sheesh! A few minutes after noon, we got into the "Lord's Store"--reference picture. We were elbow to elbow with folks and then a huge load of Amish women showed up and the place was packed. At first, I thought those women were nuns dressed in semi-traditional habits until I saw the children dressed like that as well. Trying to navigate the aisles with a cart was virtually impossible and impassable. I was getting frustrated. It was hard to pick and sort and move through piles of stuff with all of those people in there. Luckily, after you got through the first aisle or two, the crowd started to thin out. I found an entire aisle of used mason jars--- we must have been in the canning capital of southern Indiana. The households section was full of mismatched plates:) The clothes were very functional and practical without a lot of form or flair--who needs form and flair? Think of Garrison Keilor's description of the good Lutherans in Lake Wobegon, I think that same could be said of the good Catholics in Jasper,IN. We did find a pack of swimmers diapers for $1, a set of Hoosier glasses, a ton of mismatched vintage plates, an innertube swimsuit for the baby Hank, and a bunch of stuffed animals for a project at work all for a grand total of $9.98. Wow! As I stood in the checkout lane, staring at the picture of the thorned crown head of Jesus and his mother Virgin Mary, I was filled with a tinge of homesickness for my midwest roots. You don't find places like this in the South, I thought silently to myself. Let's get real, you don't find homegrown Catholics in the South--they are all transplants. The cashier told us to "have a safe trip home and take care", in an odd,midwestern, with hints of German, accent that had been crafted over generations. This was not your typical town and we were blessed to have broken down there. Thanks for the great adventure Jasper, IN--I would give you two thumbs up on the thrift store scale.
Happy Hunting folks!

2011 Yard Sale Calendar

With the new addition of Baby Hank to our family, I have had to become much more organized than usual. This is actually a good thing and for those of you who know me, you are all shaking your heads “yes” with large smiles on your faces. Needless to say, this has led me to create a yard sale calendar for the Summer of 2011 season. I have researched as many dates as possible and have placed educated guesses on other dates according to last year’s sales date. I hope that my hard work pays off for you and that you take this info and transfer it to your own personal calendars so that you can plan accordingly. If you know of any local, regional, or national sales that I have missed and would like to add, please let me know.


May 7, 2011 Damascus City Wide Yard Sale confirmed
Damascus, VA
This is the beginning of the Trail Days Celebration!
http://www.traildays.us

May 20-21, 2011 Boone United Methodist Spring Fling Sale confirmed
Don’t confuse this with the Fall Bazaar. This one is in the gymnasium only.
Boone, NC

June 4, 2011 The Dawn Fund Garage Sale confirmed rain date June 11
New in name to the local community. Held annually in the parking lot next to the Super 8 on 105—benefits children with disabilities in the community.
Boone,NC

June 11, 2011 Marine Corps Garage Sale
National Guard Armory
Boone,NC

June 17-18 Watauga Humane Society Garage Sale confirmed
Held at the National Guard Armory
Boone, NC

August 4-7 Route 127 Sale confirmed
The longest yard sale in the country. Route 127 crosses the I-40 outside of Knoxville, TN. Check out the website for more details.
http://www.127sale.com/


August 17th National Thriftshop Day confirmed
(the Rosies will be celebrating this the week before due a wedding in the family ---look forward to hearing more about the planned party for our local thrift store employees)


Aug 20, 2011 St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Sale educated guess
They usually have theirs the week before students move back in.
Boone,NC



August 27, 2011 ASU “Big Sale” educated guess
Held at Legends on the ASU campus. The only “run and get it” sale in town—for those that are there when it opens.
Boone,NC


September 2-5 Hillsville Flea Market confirmed
Hillsville,VA
Follow the link for more information. This is Labor Day weekend.
http://www.hillsville.com/fmarket.htm

September 16-17 Boone United Methodist Fall Bazaar confirmed
This is the big Kahuna folks!
Boone,NC


We are hoping that Mountain Alliance will join the ranks this year for hosting a large sale. We know that they postponed last year’s sale and hope that they can become part of the calendar for next season. We would also like to acknowledge the Mountain City Humane Society sale in November, but have no dates on that.

Let’s get ready folks! Find your small bills, your shoulder bags, and your pull along carts, garage sale season is right around the corner. As always Happy Hunting Everyone! We will see you out there.

Rosie P.

Label Whores II

“I was meant to be rich”, my chic and bored daughter mumbles as I drag her to yet another thrift shop in a seedy strip mall in Florida. This one a true bust with rack upon rack of faded chinos, beaded cocktail dresses with huge shoulder pads, and a hefty selection of cheap romance novels. It was run by Hospice, and evidently the place one donates grandma’s worn out apparel after she passes. We leave with nothing but my promise that we WILL go shopping on the drive home so she can find a special outfit for an upcoming wedding.

Fast forward two days and I find myself in the hushed and rarefied air of Saks Fifth Avenue. Yikes! Fish out of water I am, looking at the price tags and feeling woozy.

This is when I decide to update our “Label Whores” blog with some fresh suggestions for those who love to thrift for real treasures, and what a delight it will be to discover any of these labels on a “stuff a bag” table at one of the big sales:

DKNY
Elie Tahari
Michael Kors
VINCE
Lavia
Free People
Adrienne Vittandi
Ellen Tracy
Threads

Our list is ever changing, and we invite you to share additional high end labels to this collection. By the way, I spotted a Michael Kors little black dress, size 6 at the Boone Goodwill this week, $5. Shout out to my “little” friends!
We are “Label Whores”. When “thrifting”, we dive to grab clothing made by our favorite companies.


Our top picks are FLAX, April Cornell, Eileen Fisher, Patagonia, Kavu, Royal Robbins, Gramicci, J. Jill, Cut Loose, Russ Berens, Nomadic Traders, Aly Wear, Ex Officio, Chicos, and Banana Republic. We will be posting “Dozen Roses” moments when we find these.


We won’t pass up a good J. Crew, Polo, Saks, Bloomingdales, Liz, Lands End, or Talbots. The aforementioned don’t reflect our more bohemian tastes, but these finds can be passed on to friends and family (great gifts). We WILL buy Gap, especially the children’s line, although quality and concern about the company’s labor practices are reason for pause.


Madison Studio, Sag Harbor, and Rafella are Belk brands. Usually made in China, and “okay” if unique or in top shape. Dress Barn, Alolfo, White Stag, Bill Blass, The Limited, Old Navy, Worthington, and Cato are in this category as well. We will rarely post about finding any of these brands.


Faded Glory, George, and Jaclyn Smith are Big Box brands. We don’t consider these to be “finds”. So “caution” to those having a sale and expecting big returns on these brands. Let ‘em go cheap!


It’s a sure bet that we will grab any Hannah Andersen or Boden children’s clothing.


Shoes have to be in excellent condition. If we ever find Earth, Dansko, Birkenstock or Keens in good condition it’s a “dozen roses moment”.


We post this with the intent that “Rosebuds” will add their favorite brands to the list. We would love to learn about special boutique brands from our followers. You ask, we find!

The Curb Alert

Scanning through our local craigslist under the free/barter sections, I came across a listing for a "Curb Alert". Of course, I could not resist. I clicked on it to find a list of items that had been placed on the curb for the taking. Someone was moving out and had run out of time/energy/ resources, but not creativity. They had sense enough to post their unwanted belongings on craigslist and invited folks to grab them up before the trash man got them the following day. I loved it! High stakes, quick thinking, action needed, out for trash, nothing to lose, just pull up to the curb and look through the pile and take what you want. Oh what fun! Over the years, I have grabbed many "curbside call" items--ranging from piles of clothes, to discarded furniture, to cardstands to children's toys. My poor husband knows what it means when I say "pull over" with my head turned eyeing a pile of junk that has been placed out for trash. In college one of my friends had pulled a 2 foot high marble angel statue out of the trash in the alley in downtown Chicago--that was probably the best find I had ever seen. Topping all of my finds --hands down. Last week, I got a phone call from a girlfriend who had spied what should have been a "curb alert" and she had stopped to look. She wanted to know if I would be interested in looking through a box of vintage plates. I said "sure" and she grabbed them--assuring her partner that they were for me and not something she planned to keep. She brought them into the office and what a treasure trove! Almost a dozen vintage melmac plates, half a dozen Mikasa coffee cups, 10 pea green melmac tea cups, and a few jelly jars---all sitting in a box on the side of the road waiting to be taken to the dump. ( Nothing that a little bleach can't make shiny and new) Did you know that Melmac was developed in the 1940's and common in almost every household from the 1950's-1970's. It is extremely durable and was very affordable. Wow! What a score that was........ I have no doubt that many of you reading this have stopped the car while you are turtlenecking to see if the pile is worth getting out and sorting through. Personally, I just enjoy that this experience has become legitimized enough to have its own name "curb alert"--GENIUS! I would have to rate this somewhere between a "dumpster dive" and a "junk swap" at the dump...... definitely hits the spot as the winter thaws and garage sale season draws even more near. We embrace this scavenger hunt as a thrilling piece of the modern day hunter gatherer experience. As always, I would love to hear your experiences with the "curb alert"-- what have you pulled off the side of the road? Have you ever written and ad for this or followed an ad you found? Just another way to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Happy Hunting Folks!

High Tea Rag Shakin' Clothing Swap

One year and 280 Facebook Friends later, The Secondhand Rosies celebrated in style at the first annual “High Tea/Rag Shakin’ Clothing Swap” on a day full of spring magic and sunshine.

First to arrive was “Rosebud” Pamela draped in fur and eager to use her artistic talents to arrange the retro tea cups provided by Miss Match Rentals. Chai tea simmered on the stove, and soon the room was abuzz with ladies arriving with baskets, buckets, carts, and armloads of clothing to sort for the swap.

Yes, next time we will have music as a backdrop to the sorting process.

Rosie W., wearing a “Queen Mother” hat that obscured her vision, jumped on a table top close to 3pm to get the crowd ready for the rag shakin’ countdown. Armed with a large, retro metal platter with “Kaffee Klatch” imprints, and a heavy soup ladle, Rosie W. opened the swap to the sounds of platter beating, and the cry “Let the rag shakin’ begin!”

Arms and elbows askew, the crowd dove into the clothing piles with gusto, only coming up for air after the first five minutes of serious “shakin”, and soon our guests had each squirreled away a personal stash of goodies that promised to be replenished several more times over the course of the day.
.
Beautiful silver haired “Rosebuds”, and college girls with shaved heads and piercings, our event showcased diversity and artistic flair with every guest who arrived. Geographic diversity too, as new connections were made between ladies from Ashe, Watauga, AND Avery County. Damsels of thrifting and style they are!

The energy in the room was amazing. A FREE event that so many women enjoyed. In these times of a tight economic reality, this hit the spot. The price was right and the clothes were quality. Digging, sorting, grabbing, the smell of chai tea wafting through the air, the texture of the boiled wool jacket, the real leather purse, the corduroy blazer, and vintage polyester dress, our long buried senses emerged under the weight of the heavy winter. We were all so engaged and thrilled to have this taste of the hunt at our hands. Like crocuses that bloom in the snow, the "rosebud community" showed its deep desire to survive the doldrums of our mountain winter and embrace the coming of spring and the yard sale season.

Happy Hunting and thanks for coming--we will be hosting our next swap in late fall. Hope to see you there!

The Secondhand Rosies

Rosie W, Rosie P. & baby Hank