There are a bajillion posts out there on tips for having and shopping at garage sale so I won't bore you with some of the same old same old. There are really just a few tips to keep in mind when you go and the ones I use religiously. The first thing you need to determine is your purpose. Are you furnishing a room for yourself? Someone else? Looking for period pieces and style? Hoping to pick up a few things for resale? Once you have a defined purpose, and for me it's all of the above, it makes your planning go a little smoother.
The Plan
On Wednesday evening I go to the classified section of our local online newspaper and check the listings. I select one or two that seem to have the most promising items. These are the first places I hit. After that I may only go to one or two more. I'm not interested in children's toys or clothes so I steer clear of these sales. I look for moving sales, estate sales and downsizing sales. I will more likely find mid-century modern at these types of sales. The owners are usually in their mid to late 60's and are a little more willing to sell some of those items they've been hanging on to since they got married in the 60's.
The next step is to copy and paste each address to a word document in the order that I plan on going to. The next step is Google Maps. I then get driving directions and sometimes I take a screen shot of the map as well because of the location of the sale.
The last step is to get up EARLY and arrive at the sale 30 minutes before it opens. Sometimes the owner will go ahead and open up and the dealers count on that. If you get there on time and the dealers have gone through it, most of the really good stuff is gone before it even begins.
After the first 2 or 3 sales anything else you might come across will be dumb luck. I have had a few late day finds and it's always fun.
Most importantly have some fun and always ask about the item when you make your purchase. It's always nice to know the story behind a cool piece. Best of luck to all this season!!!!
This is a great old set of Paden City Pottery dinnerware in the ivy pattern.
This is downtown Metz and today is the annual Metz Road Garage Sales. I pass through Metz often and have always found everyone so very nice. You know you're in a very small rural town when everyone waves at you when you drive through. The sales were great and the people just a bit better. Rural areas always yield the most interesting finds and sometimes unexpected ones. I was lucky enough to find an old record player, a funky railroad lamp and New Orleans glassware. Then it was off to the annual Crooked Lake Garage Sales where I found a cute retro set of barware glasses with golfers on them, a Staffordshire mug, Elle Pottery plate and a nice pyrex dish. There were some other goodies as you can see in the photo. Now it's time to kick back and enjoy the afternoon in the sun. I'll sort this out on Monday.
I found these two glasses and thought I'd never in a million years be able to identify them. The only thing I was hoping for was maybe a manufacturer. Sometimes it's just about going to the right place and that place was MODish. This morning I posted this image on my blog there and by this evening I had a great lead.
I suppose I have mentioned I am a confessed lampaholic. But who in their right mind could resist this gem? It's a gorgeous ceramic Danish Modern lamp in warm greens and just a hint of rust that contrasts perfectly with the teak table it's sitting on. It took me a little while to identify it but finally found the matching lamp on Ebay and it was marked by Bitossi Art Studio.
Don't worry Etsy and Ebay I still love you. We will be opening a vintage shop on Art Fire at The Garage Sale Archeologist in the next week. We will still sell at our other venues but simply wish to diversify our locations on the Internet. Please check us out for Mid-century, Eames Era, Danish Modern, Atomic and Retro housewares, home decor and furnishings. Our goal is to find cool stuff for cool people at a cool price.
This 1991 Campbell's Soup Tureen & Sauce Pan is available for sale HERE!
Sometimes I find an item and no matter how hard I research I cannot locate the manufacturer or designer. This is a gorgeous piece of enamelware circa the late 60's. I found another dutch oven identicle in style made by US Gourmet Cookware attributed to Georges Briard. This piece fits the style and feel of both. Could it be one of those rare pieces no one else has? I hope so. If you have any idea please share. This is a very high quality enamelware dutch oven and will be listed soon on Etsy.
There are a bajillion posts out there on tips for having and shopping at garage sale so I won't bore you with some of the same old same old. There are really just a few tips to keep in mind when you go and the ones I use religiously. The first thing you need to determine is your purpose. Are you furnishing a room for yourself? Someone else? Looking for period pieces and style? Hoping to pick up a few things for resale? Once you have a defined purpose, and for me it's all of the above, it makes your planning go a little smoother.
This was a fun find. I have always been fascinated by hobnail, I love the texture and was delighted to spot this very cool Lavabo by Fenton. Like most vintage glass I have seen it's not marked so I had to spend a little time verifying it as a Fenton piece. Examples and pricing of this style piece { not milk glass } can be found on pages 111, 112 and 116 in FENTON GLASS COMPENDIUM 1940-1970 by JOHN WALK.
