The Law of Attraction?

Bippity Boppity Boo, has it EVER happened to you? Call it “Law of Attraction”, “Cosmic Ordering” or just dang luck, but there seems to be abundance in positive thinking when it comes to hunting for something second hand.

“IF YOU EVER SEE……..” .Only half in jest, my friends beg my attention with mournful requests for certain items, and nine times out of ten the coveted item will be found. And needless to say, “throwing it out to the universe” has become ritual in our family.

I am currently looking for a good leather belt, and size 12 Crocs, for my son in law, as well as Sinatra on vinyl for the guy who styles my hair, and for the next few years ANYTHING Hollister will be a hit with my pre-teen granddaughter.

Years back it was a beautiful tweed “city coat” for my friend’s husband, and to this day, at dinner parties it’s inevitable that she’ll point to me and say….”If you ever want……”

There seems to be a different ethos within the thrifting community shifts the universe toward sending us what we need. Could this be because most people who find joy in thrifting are not greedy, but simply creative people who love the “hunt” and who feel great joy in sharing with others. Again,“The Law of Attraction”?

Recently a “Rosebud” told the story of finding Tiki Lights for a wedding at a Yard Sale after searching all the retail outlets in Boone. It was a great, and inexpensive find, and just made the day! You can’t help but wonder sometimes about this synchronicity.

The Pea Coat, most beautiful, authentic, made in Boston and mint condition, was found last week in the Goodwill in Black Mountain. My intention to find one had been “out there” for about a month, and I must admit that I am always filled with wonder and disbelief when something is manifested.

I do believe that the magic wands that bring us this abundance will remain fine tuned if we stay in a place of gratitude for the abundance we create. Happy hunting!

One Leg of a Girdle

( Editor's note: Though the Rosies are from two different generations, they share very similar stories that both began by giving to others through volunteer work. This is Rosie W.'s story of her time in Washington state.)

One leg of a girdle, and parts from an old Army fighter plane were some of the “treasures?” one could dig up in the authentic, and often spooky, attic of the Mission Building at St. Mary’s Mission in Omak, Washington. The school, Paschal Sherman Indian School, was located on the Colville Reservation in eastern WA.

This is where I spent some time in the early ‘70’s as a volunteer for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, and where my husband and I spent our first years of marriage in a tiny room off the back of the boy’s dormitory.

The attic became my haunt. Donations came in regularly, and it was fun to rummage through the odd assortment of boxes from individuals as well as government surplus items.

It was there I found the old cedar chest that I trekked back across the country. At one time it was used as a coffin for one of the nuns who died years ago….short German nuns they were! There is still an inscription in faint pencil script on the inside of the chest which notes that “Sister ?” died October 18, 1920 in the evening. There is a faint list of witnesses too.

The attic also manifested a source of refrigeration for friends who were living off the grid. This was Army surplus, and the only problem was it had “Human Blood” stamped all over the outside, and it became quite the conversation piece in their home.

Folks sent toys for the children as well, but sadly some donations were in such poor shape that we staff had to trash many an item. It still makes me smile to remember the day the smaller girls had a “rebellion” in the Army Quonset hut that served as the gym, and began tossing all the “white honkey” dolls off the balcony. They deserved better, but we all learned to “make do”.

I taught sixth grade in a converted garage with all furnishings being cast offs from the outside world. In the end, none of this mattered. We were a small happy bunch who lived with the children 24/7. There was a pet coyote, lots of singing, dancing, community meals, playing and love.

And one leg of a girdle remains my best example of a donation gone awry.

The Attic--one of my first loves

Over the weekend, I had a blast from the past come down to Boone to visit. Some old friends of mine from Berea, KY rented a cabin on top of Snaggy Mountain and settled in for what was winter’s first hint of a show. They came to celebrate my friend’s 40th birthday and they filled me in on the “goings on” in Berea—an old stomping ground of mine. Let me invite you into a bit of my history….. following college, I spent a year working/volunteering as an outreach social worker in Eastern Kentucky with the Christian Appalachian Project. I lived in a community of individuals in a roadside converted motel and had my own office attached to a large thrift store. The thrift store was named “The Attic”. Oh, the Attic….how I loved the Attic. Rene was the manager of the Attic. She was a beautiful southern woman, whose parents were missionaries and had raised her to be altruistic. She was also a single mother and drove a red convertible. You could tell she had lived a bit on the wild side somewhere along her life’s journey. Rene headed the bunch. JC was a chain smoking local who worked in the warehouse, loading and unloading, sorting, managing, and driving the big donation trucks around the mountain towns. He had a fast grin and a thick drawl and was as kind as the day is long. Ingrid and Becky worked the front of the house. Ingrid was from Germany originally. She had lived in Eastern Kentucky most of her adult life, but never left her accent behind and distinguished herself by having an Eastern Kentucky twang with a guttural German sound behind it. Ingrid was as sweet as pie. Becky was a local lady who loved the social aspects of working at the Attic. She knew her customers by name, they were neighbors, distant relations, or fellow church members or all three. Becky loved to talk and wanted to retire from the Attic as her career of choice. I was the lone social worker in the building, who came and had morning coffee with the group at 8:30 every morning to discuss details of the day. The young outsider who was “let in.” They accepted me as a Yankee among them and allowed me to cut my teeth in their presence. Furthermore,I had my own account at the Attic. As a volunteer, I was paid $100 a month in the form of a stipend. This money did not stretch far, even in those days (the early 90’s). So, I would often find treasures at the Attic that I could not resist, but had no money to buy. The folks there would just add it to my bill. They were very generous and understanding of my ongoing financial status. Why did I love the Attic so much? They had an entire wing dedicated to vintage clothing. ( see the picture above---I could almost smell the vintage clothing just by looking at the picture) They also had brand new clothes as well as gently used clothes for all ages. Households, shoes, and bedding were staple items in the store. Everything there had been donated to the Christian Appalachian Project. These donations were local as well as national---therefore, the merchandise did not necessarily reflect the local styles of the region, which is more typical than atypical if you think about it. Seriously, you never knew what you would find at this store. I bought an antique couch, steamer trunks, afghans, clothing, pottery, jewelry, etc….. all from the Attic. I should have just proclaimed that I would work for nothing because the majority of my paycheck would go right back to the organization. The Attic was also a community resource. People could get vouchers for school clothes, winter coats, professional clothing, etc. Families who experienced house fires could come to the Attic and shop for free. Victims of domestic violence, families in severe poverty, those attempting to gain employment….the Attic was designed to be a safety net of physical resources. They could clothe a town with the amount of clothing you could find in that store and in the warehouse. I am certain that over all of its years of existence, this thrift store brought thousands of smiles into the world.

Before I left my post in August of 1995 to return to graduate school, I made the Attic a sign out of a mosaic of used stamps. It was my farewell gift to them, my coffee group, my mentors, and my way of life as a volunteer. Many life lessons for a young Midwestern woman were learned under the roof of the Attic.

According to the Berea Citizen Newspaper, the Attic closed its doors this past September. The landlord has yet to find another renter and it is currently boarded up with a sign outside. Wish that I could rent it……. The power of the memories of that building will always hold a dear place in my heart and I wanted to share its story with you. If you have any stories you would like to share about your favorite thrift store or a thrift store that has played a large role in your thrifting development, we encourage you to tell us your story. As always, happy hunting!

The Secondhand Baby Shower

“Thrifting for Hank”, read the cake which was decorated with one red rose. And “thrifting” we did, as the Rosebuds showered Rosie P. with second hand abundance at Tuesday night’s “Second Hand Shower”.
Let this event stand as a model for breaking the traditional mold of the baby shower and embracing the notion of re-gifting, and the joy in the “hunt”.
Sincere appreciation to Rosebud Wendy for keeping an organized list of gifts during this event, and to Dawn, Jeff, and Pamela for help with set up.

Rosie P. left the shower with a car full of treasures:
*Piles of clothing (onesies, outfits, a blanket, and overalls) from Dawn and Jeff

*Snowsuit from Nancy

*Pregnancy swimsuit and a handmade blanket from Sutton and little Lillon

*Two piece sweater set from Lisa

*Striped 3 month onesies from Margaret T.

*Frog costume for Hank’s 2011 Halloween, and the book “My Aunt Rosie” from Pamela

*”Bag-A-Baby” and a handmade brag book from Wendy

* Organic and locally made soap and lotion from Val (From Green Mother Goods)

*Sippy cup, onesies, and corduroy pants from Amy M.

*Picnic Basket, wooden roll toy, wooden bear toy, Happy Baby food grinder, Puff the Magic Dragon book/cd, from Rosie W.

*Sensory toy, “Rock Star” hat and onesie, and socks from Anna Banana

*Athletic outfits and bathing suits from Freida

*White noise machine from Christina


And the best gift remains the new friendships made within our “Thrifting” community. Hank is in for a wild ride! Blessings to all. Rosie W.

Ingredients for a successful fundraiser yard sale

As many of you who have followed our writings know, we have a long
history of shopping at the church rummage/relay for life/humane society...etc.
garage sales. We have also had the honor of using our unique talents to steer,
manage, consult with and direct large fundraiser sales. Mind you, this is not
for the weak of heart. Organizational/fundraiser sales are a great deal of
work.
About 6 weeks ago, I received a phone call from my mother-- a staunch non-garage
saler herself--but a recent convert GW thrifter nonetheless. She serves as
a board member for a local organic garden cooperative back in Illinois. They wanted to host a benefit
garage sale in order to raise the funds to buy a new tractor for their garden.
She needed a crash course in how to successfully conquer a fundraiser garage
sale and she needed broken down into simple steps. Amazing--she accepted the
challenge and I was so proud of her! I now became her mentor and provided her
with advice to negotiate the ins and outs of this daunting task. So, I decided to share the same info

with you, our readers, in order to benefit all non-profit, organizational garage sale fundraiser folks
out there who need a heads up, a direction to be pointed in, a pat on the back,
and a large does of moral support.
You may be asking yourself, what does she really know? My story
started back in the days when I was a Youth Minister at Sacred Heart Church in
Effingham, Illinois. A large Catholic town, the church hosted an annual
picnic--which was a huge social event. Along with the picnic came the annual outdoor

church rummage sale. Being a youth minister, one of your job responsibilities was to be able

to manage the church rummage, using the youth with their exuberance and strength to complete
the majority of the physical labor involved in set up, collection, display, and
take down. As well as, teaching the youth about pricing, selling, organizing,
bartering, making money, working as a team, and feeling vital in the overall
sense of community. As a life long garage saler, I welcomed the challenge of
being in charge of something this big. We had a large tent, ongoing publicity (
as we were attached to the picnic), a large base of donation support, and the
space with parking to have it. It was almost like a pre-packaged event and I
was somewhat of a figurehead more than someone who had to spearhead the event.
So, I learned some of the ropes without having to take too many risks. This was
an uncommon way to learn, but an extremely valuable one in that it allowed me
to gain an overall insight of the inner workings of such sales.

When I moved to the mountains, the organization I worked for joked about having
a fundraiser garage sale for an in-house charity that we supported. I told them
that I would love to do that and we have held 7 consecutive sales thus far. This is the forum in
which I have developed the recipe for the sale........almost now creating a
pre-packaged sale of our own.

Key Ingredients
1. A committed group of individuals--steering committee, volunteers, workers
(10-15 individuals) I have found this to be vital to the overall success of the sale!

2. Place to store, sort, price items--the closer in vicinity to the actual sale
venue the better. This will cut down on the work that it takes to move the items. Determine and announce collection
dates.
3. Place to have the sale--with parking considerations and high visibility
4. A large base of folks to donate items---who support the cause and you know
you can call on them for items.
5. Insist on the "No Junk Rule!"
6. Someone who knows how to price--reasonable prices (remember to have prices
marked or indicated on a sign and don't forget to have start up change)
7. Access to tables or other display options--get items off the ground as much
as possible and organize the shopping experience.
8. Good Advertising--signs, newspaper ads, craigslist,etc.----use catchy words
and describe some unique items---not just households, clothes, and something for
everyone.
9. The dollar bag/half price sale for the last hour--this moves items quickly
and should be advertised. Quick and easy money!
10. Arrange for a pick up of leftover items---help the local thrift store by
having a group of volunteers to box up leftovers and help load them on the thrift store truck.


With this in mind, you should begin planning 3-4 months prior to the sale. This
let's folks mark their calendars and commit their time. This also allows you to
schedule a rain date if needed and gain commitment for that weekend as well.
This timeline allows any hiccups in the planning to be reconciled by the
planning committee and worked through. Believe me, alot of things can go wrong
and you need to be able to meet with the steering committee and create
alternative/back up plans.
The first one is the scariest and after that, it gets easier every year.

So, I shared this information with my mother and she had a very successful
fundraising experience. Her organization made over $1200 on their first sale.
They did not allow clothing , only items. This is a decision that the steering
committee will have to make. I have seen successful sales with and without
clothing. Congratulations Mom! I am very proud of you. I know you always said
that it skipped a generation, but now I am wondering if it was just a recessive
gene that you had the whole time and just needed to water to make it grow.

The Secondhand Rosies have written more in-depth descriptions of some of the 10
steps throughout their blog over this past year. For further reading, please
refer to www.secondhandrosies.blogspot.com or feel free to get on our Facebook
fanpage and ask us questions.
Wishing you great success!

Until next time, Happy Hunting!

The "Yes" Sale

The “Yes” Sale

Socks and coats have replaced the carefree Summer garb for those of us out and about early on these Saturday Fall mornings. Yup, the season will soon come to a crashing halt by Halloween.

This said, Rosie W. shares some more “editorial commentary” about the sales that scream “Yes” with clever ads providing details of goods and great directions.

*No Early Birds*: Too bad, “Flippers”

*Clothing $2 a Bag : How can you go wrong? Stuff and stuff for all your friends

*Pottery*: Can’t resist.

*Treasures*: The hook is baited!

*Hand Made Jewelry*: Oooh lala….see you there

*Neighborhood/ Multi Family/ Community Sale/ Merging households/ Church* : MEANS BIG!!!! So no sense driving around when you can find so much in one place

*20 + years of Attic Treasures*: Now, if it said Basement…..but thumbs to an attic full of goodies.

*Houseplants*: Usually an indicator of other gems

*Old wicker, wrought iron, and sets of old china*: Grandma’s things? A must see!

And my three top picks, all from Charlotte in recent weeks:

***3 family yard sale, with $2 pony rides*** Family fun!

***Final move – over 50+ years accumulated. Can’t take it with us*** Enjoy retirement, and we’ll take the Fiesta Ware!

***The ultimate way to ‘go green’ and recycle is to buy used items. Our annual Polkville Yard Sale*** Community with an Eco Conscience….I’d go just to support their values.

Rosie P. chiming in with a few more catch phrase items that have "caught" my eye...........

quartz crystals, old wooden boxes, vinyl albums, custom handmade jewelry,western boots

A funky hand painted dresser and art deco coffee table with silver legs--out of Asheville, NC.

Weaverville, NC: A '63 VW bug, paintings, frames, and bookshelves.

Architectural pieces, wrought iron, and old advertising racks--here I come Todd, NC.

And it is a true shame that we did not save the fabulous ad from this summer from the sellers on the corner of Bend and Straight St. in Boone. They advertised not only a wide variety of odd and intriguing items, but also live bluegrass music and juggling. For those of you who have been following our FB page for a while, you will remember that this is the sale at which Rosie W. knocked on the door and roused the sellers to put out their treasures. They would win our "best local ad of the season" trophy if we actually had one to give.

Keep up the good work sellers! Everyone looks for different key words that interest them. We would love to hear from our readers and invite all Rosebuds to comment on things that they cannot pass up checking out. Happy Hunting!

The "No" Words

Rosie W. here offering some “editorial comment” about certain buzz words in yard sale ads that tamp down my expectations for said sale.

*Hunting/fishing items: “Not Sarah”

*Xmas items: “Enough, overkill!”

*VHS Tapes: “Dinosaurs”

*Almost new country items….:”Ahem…like ducks with bows? No thanks”

*Whatnots/Knickknacks: “Dust”

*Home Interior: “Not my taste, boring and probably made in China”

*Muzzle Loader: “Again, not Sarah, and try the Pawn Shop, dude”

*Large Bird Cage: “Huh? Just how large IS this bird?”

*Coach Bags, and Nine West Shoes: “Retired and giving up the Marlo Thomas ‘professional’ look”

*Canned Food: “Is this a sign of the times? Try food pantry donation folks or just throw away if old…..ick!”

*Nordic Trac: “A White Elephant of the Yard Sale circuit….we found ours at the dump”

*Stuffed Animals: “Fleas, drool, mold and dust…..”

*Beanie Babies, Avon Bottles, and other “collectibles” : “If you dig clutter…”

Rosie P. would like to add some further comments after reviewing local and regional craigslist ads.

Out of Jefferson ,NC---Canned Foods and seasonal decorations. I am pretty certain that this topped my list of garage sales that I had no interest in perusing. Yikes! Naturally, I found that the term "seasonal decorations" can be said in a wide variety of ways, such as " Christmas and fall decorations, decorative holiday items, holiday decor, and just plain Christmas." All were used to describe the offerings of sellers across the region. Rosie W. and I agree on this one. Maybe we are just both naturalists/minimalists when it comes to Santa and the holiday season.

I also agree with "antiques and collectibles" statement. If they are so interesting and sought after, then the seller should identify them for the buying public. These terms do not make me circle a sale and put it on my list. I am also a little bit wary of the "homemade goods" that are advertised. This is a personal preference, but it kind of creeps me out. I am not supportive of selling food, donuts, hotdogs, popcorn, brownies, cookies, etc. at sales. The only time I find an exception to this rule is a church sale with a kitchen where you can see and smell them cooking the food. This erases any mental images I have of someone cooking the food in their homes with who knows what going on in there.

Electronics, crafts, and pocketbooks. These are just a few more to add to my list.

ODDS and INS --out of Asheville, NC. This just cracked me up and I had to share it !

Our next blog will focus on key words or phrases in ads that catch our eye and make us add them to our Saturday morning lists. We would love to hear from you and know which catch words turn off your interest. Happy Hunting!