Jun 25, 2002 3 min read

I’m not big on yard sales. What can you do with box after box of stuff you’ve accumulated over the years?

I’m talking about things that are out of style, no longer fit or are missing some important piece to make them complete.

For example, a bag of men’s flannel shirts. It seems everyone was wearing them back in the 1970s. In fact, I bought most of mine at a former downtown store known for its fashionable ware. But in recent years they seem to have gone out of popular style. For some reason, too, maybe because of our milder winters, they seem a little like overkill: I find them to be just too warm to wear.

Or the bric-a-brac picked up on travels, from local shops, by gifts from friends, etc. The little flowerpots, bud vases, porcelain animals, crystal candy dishes and the like.

Then there are the odd pieces of furniture that once held an esteemed place but now have no nook or cranny to call their own.

And, as in many houses today, there are the superfluous electronic items. The old computer that is too slow or lacks a modem for the Internet. The TV set that has sound but no picture. And the odd assortment of radios.

Well, what do you do with all this stuff?

Have a yard sale.

Which to me is akin to having a root canal without anesthetic.

Some people love these things, going to them and having them. There is the lure of turning some of that old junk into hard cash. But the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ just doesn’t hold anymore.

What’s junk is junk and it seems everyone knows that.

My lovely wife had been talking about holding a sale since we first moved down from the mountain. I dreaded the day because it meant sorting, lifting, toting, pricing, cleaning to get everything ready for the event. She recruited my mother and sister-in-law for help. They stayed overnight after spending a long day preparing what seemed like the inventory for a chain of gift and clothing stores.

I had much of the stuff neatly stored in the garage. It occupied enough space that we could get just one car into the area built for two cars.

After they finished, there wasn’t enough space left to park a bicycle. The stuff seemed like popcorn: it just exploded and filled the entire cavity.

Everyone arose early on the day of the sale, which was fortunate. Although we advertised the sale for noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday people started showing up at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. In fact, we had more customers before the noon start than we did after.

So how did it go?

Well, we picked one of the hottest weekends so far this year, which means the iced tea flowed fast and freely, as did the perspiration.

And, after two days of what I deem misery, we had accumulated a small pile of dollar bills, a couple of 20s and a pile of coins.

My wife kept saying her goal was to sell $22,000 worth of goods.

All she has to do now is sell another $21,875 worth and she will reach her goal.

How many more yard sales do you think she has to have?

Have a good day.

Jim Pletcher is the Herald-Standard’s business editor. E-mail: jpletcher@heraldstandard.com.