Yard sales are the Saturday morning fever
Thu, May 8, 2008
By ANDREW SMITH The Brunswick News A group of friends meets early most Saturday mornings, climbs into the carpool vehicle and sets off down the road in search of the next great bargain.The great American pastime of exploring yard sales is alive and well in the Golden Isles, with more than 50 sales advertised in last Friday's edition of The Brunswick News alone.And as the weather continues to warm up, the weekends will find still more homeowners selling off stuff they no longer need, or want, or have room for. And chances are good that if somebody's selling it, somebody else is willing to buy it – if the price is right.
With the newspaper classifieds and a local map in hand, yard sale regulars can be considered modern-day treasure hunters – always on the lookout for the perfect piece of furniture or a knick-knack they never knew they needed. "I'm out there almost every Saturday" said St. Simons Island resident Wanda Bullard, who's been frequenting the weekend circuit for some 18 years. "I look at the classifieds to find out what sales are going on that day and I hit the road."In her time, Bullard has made some good deals. She admits she's a sucker for books and old records, and has found some good first edition prints at bargain prices.
She even purchased a comfy recliner at one yard sale for $10 so she could sit back and enjoy her finds."I'm a better collector of goods than I am a distributor," Bullard laughed. "I have more books than I could ever read"Jenny Strauss, also of St. Simons Island, refers to yard sale shopping as the "poor woman's retail therapy.""I've been going to yard sales regularly for the past five years," Strauss said. "The patience to wait for the piece you really want or need has paid off for me."Bullard and Strauss are just the kind of customers Art Otwell hopes to attract this weekend when he hosts a moving sale at his home, 101 Rosemont St. on St. Simons Island.Otwell said the experience he has gained by hosting yard sales in the past helped him prepare for his fourth yard sale."Everybody is looking for a bargain," Otwell said. "You just have to know that as a seller you're going to get pennies on the dollar of what you paid for an item."Otwell also understands how important the items for sale are to the success of a yard sale. His sale, which begins at 8 a.m., features several pieces of furniture, clothes, sporting goods and household knick-knacks.But he knows some shoppers will show up early."The early birds will get here around 7 a.m. and if they see good items for sale they'll get the word out and more people will show up," Otwell said. With her experience as a shopper, Bullard offered insight into the back and forth haggling that famously occurs at yard sales. "To be a good yardsaler you have to try and bargain," Bullard noted. "But if the seller isn't willing to haggle back they won't have a good yard sale."While getting deals is one of the main objectives, both Bullard and Strauss agreed that it's not what you get, but who you're with that really matters. "I love going with and seeing the same people," Bullard said. "It's a party atmosphere once you get there. Everyone is laid back having a good time."Said Strauss, "I've made a lot of friends from going to yard sales. There are a whole bunch of people that do it regularly. Just last week I saw several friends I hadn't seen in months."I spent more time chatting than shopping. It was great."
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