By Brenna Wiegand
Lisa Freeman worked hard all week to prepare for her annual yard sale, resulting in her netting more than $700. She said having furniture helped ,and that she was more likely to negotiate with someone purchasing several items. Most of her own garage “sailing” is only when she drives by a sign or sale that looks interesting.
That’s not serious garage sailing – a term that seems a forerunner to “surfing the Web.”
“There’s a cadre of maybe 20-30 people we’ve become acquainted with because we’re avid garage sale shoppers and we exchange notes on who wants what and where it goes,” said Stu Rasmussen, Silverton’s mayor and avid garage sailor. “For instance, Tootie Riggs is looking for colored glass plates to use for mobiles; if somebody’s looking for something and you’ve seen one, you tell them where it is… It’s a social event in addition to a shopping event and a great chance for me to get the pulse of the community – and go shopping at the same time.”
Growing up in Southern California, Lani Allen said her mom loved a bargain. “My mom was an avid garage sailor so she got me going on it as a kid and young adult.”
For Summer Schmidgall, garage sailing is about the hunt. “New toys, kids’ clothes and shoes can be spendy and are often only used for a short time, so finding a $50 toy for 5 or 10 bucks is always fun,” Schmidgall said.
However, the young mother finds it a hassle to park, get out and write down the addresses posted at intersections. Last month, she started a Facebook page called “Saleing in Silverton,” hoping it becomes the go-to place for posting and finding out about garage sales. “…kind of like the virtual version of Main and McClaine,” Schmidgall said. “All people need to do is take a picture of the sign they are posting using their smart phone and upload it, then they just delete it when the sale is over.”
“Garage sailing is a uniquely American tradition,” said Roger Freeman, who travels the world in his work. “They’re a great social event – Americans are pretty outgoing and we enjoy meeting our neighbors.”
Rasmussen said garage sales didn’t catch on in these parts until 15-20 years ago. His partner Victoria Sage doesn’t open her business until 11:30 a.m. on Fridays – after they’ve made their rounds. “We’re doing a tiling project and recently found tiling tools, spacers and that stuff, then at another sale, we found enough tiles to do the whole project for $50,” he said.
How to find sales: Craigslist,
the local papers, bulletin boards,
signs at intersections and
Facebook: Silverton Sale-ing
Tips for garage sailors:
Plan your route; go early;
bring cash; some sellers may
take a local check or hold an
item while you run to the ATM;
ask other shoppers if they’ve
seen good sales that day; deals
are more likely on the last
day of the sale.
For those holding garage sales:
Get the word out. Advertise in the
various venues; make large signs with
few words that can be read from a distance;
place signs in prominent locations; don’t
put up signs until a day or two before
the sale and take them all down promptly
Methods vary for shoppers; some dawdle; others scope out every nook and cranny, while Allen says “hit it, look fast and get out.”
“I’m really systematic; I’ll even just drive up and eyeball-scan.” She often makes a quick call to somebody who may be able to use something she’s just found – like an almost-new Kitchen Aide mixer for $25. She’s helped deck out many a house with furniture, dishes or whatever was needed.
“You have to be open to what’s going to show up,” she said. “I wasn’t looking for some really cool cowboy boots but I found four pairs of really cool cowboy boots at this one sale. I spread them out because I knew somebody would take them.”
“If you see something, buy it right now because by the time you go back for it, somebody else will have probably glommed onto it,” Rasmussen said. “Also, don’t be ashamed to make a ridiculous offer because people often just want it gone. ”
