Garage Sale, both a noun and a verb. There are two types of people out there…those who garage sale, as a verb, and those who do not. Garage salers are a unique breed. They aren’t quite thrifters, but they love to find hidden gems and treasures in their travels. They are up by 7:00 and sometimes roaming the streets then, or by 7:30 or for sure by 8:00 because the early bird catches the worm. They have coin purses full of coins. They aren’t afraid to bargain, even if their entourage is mortified by the back-and-forth negotiating. They have specific items in mind like game cartridges for their original NES or vintage Barbies or a specific China print. I know quite a few intense garage salers. Gone are the days when you saw handmade signs on street posts. Now you can find out about garage sales weeks in advance courtesy of the internet and Facebook Event pages!
We have hosted our own garage sale before. It was a great opportunity for my kids to practice getting rid of items they no longer use or play with in hopes of earning some funds for the piggy bank. My daughter is quite the entrepreneur and has set up a freezie, lemonade, and candy stand alongside the other stuff we were trying to sell. She made a killing, literally nickel and diming even her own cousins. It is a great, low-risk opportunity for kids to try their hand at hard work and entrepreneurship. It is also quite a bit of work for parents…just saying! But it was worth it when neighbourhood kids biked by and bought a lemonade off her and she was so proud. These are the core memories of a simpler childhood, I tell ya!
When I was a kid, I enjoyed attending the Cookstown Wing Ding. It was a town-wide garage sale and everyone came out to play.. I mean, literally everyone. It was a good excuse to purge your junk…uh, treasures. All the small shops had sales. There was no parking. It was a wild place for a small town but a fun tradition I enjoyed doing with my siblings and parents.
Now my kids enjoy the garage sale as well! With their coins of assorted value, they love to be able to shop off neighbours, replacing all the knickknacks I previously purged. It’s good practice for money-math and learning the value of items.
With June here, it is prime Garage Sale Season! Here are some regional sales we have marked on our calendar:
- Saturday June 1- Coldwater’s Village-wide garage sale
- Saturday, June 15- Warminster’s garage sale
- Saturday June 15- Orillia’s Citywide Garage Sale, along with the City’s Treasure Hunt Program.
This Villager probably will check out all of them, because while I love to purge my children’s toys and knickknacks, I also love to find fun things from my childhood to share with them! I also love the community aspect of it and connecting with all sorts of interesting people. You’ll be seeing us, with a coin purse in tow, this June at a garage sale near you!
