Second Hand

Summer is the season of the garage sale. This American invention allows us to offload our junk a buck at a time while allowing others to enjoy those things we have inherited, outgrown, or tired of. And we can make a bit of money in the process, which we can use to purchase even more junk.  

I don’t stop for EVERY garage sale, but I can hardly pass a sign without being tempted to make a stop. It’s interesting how often I’ll find the same things at a couple of sales in one day: the exact same jewelry box or similar wall hangings. Lots of people shop for baby items at garage sales, and kids’ clothes are always popular. I usually have a list of a few things that I’m on the prowl for, but generally I go in with an open mind and come out with something. From stocking stuffers to stock pots, from craft items to garden tools, from board games to furniture, I’ve secured lots of great stuff for pennies on the dollar.

Estate sales are the granddaddy of garage sales. Buyers are permitted to roam a person’s home and purchase virtually anything they can see. Estates sales are like time capsules, painting amazing portraits of the people who once lived there. The family’s size, income, faith, political leanings, hobbies, duration of time in the home…it’s easy to come up with a reasonably accurate accounting of the home and its inhabitants.  The stuff tells the story.

Estate sales also feel a little sad, because they are usually held when a chapter of life is closing: a family has been transferred to another state or an older person is no longer able to stay in the home. Once grandma is installed in her new residence, family members take what they want, and the rest—the flotsam and jetsam of a family’s history—is left to be picked over by strangers.

As I sort through the tables of tacky Christmas decorations, I’ll see things and wonder why in the world someone held onto them and why some estate sale dealer thought some sap would pay money for it. Other times I’ll leap on something, wondering how I was lucky enough to find such a great treasure—clearly no one could see the item’s amazing value. One of my great weaknesses is needlework, because I know the effort that goes into creating it. These pieces are usually inexpensive, so I often take a couple home in an attempt to save them from the indignity of becoming rags.

At every estate sale, I inevitable ask myself what it will look like when an estate sale will be held for my stuff. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to offload most of our family “heirlooms” to the kids long before the last round of downsizing, and as I pass them down, I want them to know the story of our things, because they hold pieces of our history. I know that not everything that has value to me will have value to them, or they may decide that in some cases, monetary value trumps sentimental value. I’m cool with that. As long as these things joy for someone, their value remains intact.