In a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood just off of 38th Avenue in Wheat Ridge, live two women, Phyllis and Jody, who have been organizing one to two garage sales annually for the past 40 years. A mix of neighbors and extended family provide the items. This year, nine households contributed.
"It's a good opportunity to get to know the neighbors," Jody said.
"They just come by and talk, and sometimes bring an item or two," Phyllis added.
The women, who asked to keep their last names out of the paper for privacy reasons, sat comfortably in the back of a garage-turned-thrift-shop, filled with items --; all including little price tags.
Growing families have been a big motivation for the women to keep the sales going.
"I have children, who now have children of their own, and children can outgrow clothes in a matter of a month," Jody said. "This is a way to recycle things, and it's certainly cheaper than going to the store all the time."
Garage sales started as early as the 1800s. Shipping yards sold unclaimed and used items to communities at discounted prices. They were called "rummage sales," according to the Daily Infographic website, which collates interesting facts and figures into infographics.
The term "garage sale" was coined in the 1950s and 1960s during a period of urban expansion. People were moving into homes with yards and garages. With the rise of internet usage in the 1990s and 2000s, people started advertising garage sales online in addition to newspapers, says Daily Infographic.
A garage sale is more than just an outdoor pop-up shop cluttered with used items. It's a staple of summer season alongside sporting events and barbecues. It's a family affair, de-cluttering tool, collector's playground --; and a means of contributing to community.
Lydia Greenhalge, of Littleton, coordinates an annual two-day yard sale at South Fellowship Church, 6560 S. Broadway, Littleton. She spends more than three months collecting donations and hosts the sale mid-April, which generates about $13,000 each year.
"We do it early to get people fired up for garage-sale season," she said.
People in the garage sale world know what items sell for, Greenhalge said. She barters prices: A pair of jeans marked for $5 may sell for $3. Two items may sell for the price of one. Greenhalge works with customers.
"The right price is the price sellers are willing to sell for and buyers are willing to spend," she said.
South Fellowship proceeds pay for missionary trips for the church's youth group. In 2013, members traveled to Haiti. Fundraising "takes the heat off parents," said Greenhalge.
Garage sale fans also can download several Internet apps to find the nearest garage sale, including YardSales.net, gsalr.com, Yard Sale Treasure Map and Garage Sales by Map.
An Internet user simply enters his or her ZIP code and the application pulls up a list of nearby garage sales. Or a user can sign up for alerts to be notified when a sale is happening.
During garage sale season --; typically spring and summer months --; the following occurs weekly in the U.S, according to Daily Infographic:
65,000 garage sales 690,000 people purchasing from a garage sale 4.97 million items sold $4.2 million generated in revenue, with the estimated item price at 85 cents.
Low prices appeal to customers.
Denise Nuanes was babysitting her mother's yard sale in Westminster and, despite not even having a sign, was finding plenty of prospective buyers. She stopped to help a customer. "Um, a dollar-fifty --; no, a dollar," she says to a man eyeing some old exercise equipment.
Yard sales are a great way to get rid of old things that she and her family would otherwise "take to the Goodwill or a homeless shelter," Nuanes said. "But sometimes it's easier to just put it in the front yard."
And while yard sales serve as an easy way to earn a little extra scratch, Nuanes admitted she's not necessarily the best person for the job --; as witnessed from the earlier transaction.
"The thing is, I'm the one you don't want to have selling because I always give. I'm like 'Just give me this price.' Especially with the kids, they get me all the time," she said. "But you know, we want to help people. It's nice to give back."
Up the street in the Westminster neighborhood is the king of sales --; an estate sale. In this case, the burden of the sale rests on professionals, not the owner of all the "stuff."
"Estate sales are more fun, because it's not our stuff, we sell for the owners," said Lizzy Grandshaw, with Premier Estate Liquidators LLC. "We help organize it, get it ready and price it. (Sales) are tedious and so I think that's why people like to hire estate services, because we come in and we do it all."
Outside, Debbie Schott and her son, Kaelob, of Westminster, get ready to peruse the sale for the second time in as many days. Debbie's a regular at yard, garage and estate sales.
"I do make a habit of it --; I don't make a list or anything like that, but I do make a habit of it," she said. She's always on the hunt for that one good find. Lately, however, it's her son who's had the most luck.
"I found a big box of old Pokemon cards that's worth a few hundred (dollars), and I got it for five bucks," Kaelob said.
Back in Wheat Ridge, Esmeralda Martinez is using her lunch break to check out Phyllis' and Jody's sale.
"There's always good deals around here," said the garage sale regular. She guesses a trip to a garage sale usually happens every other week.
"I have three kids, so finding 'it' at a garage sale is always a little cheaper," Martinez said, referring to gently used clothes and toys.
The aftermath of a garage sale varies. Some, like Greenhalge, donate leftover items to nonprofit organizations. She gives to local charities, including Denver Rescue Mission, Love INC Littleton, Family Promise and mission trips overseas.
It is, she said, "a labor of love."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Rummaging-for-many-a-reason,226424?branding=15
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