Books are Only Half the Fun: Amazing Garage Sale Finds

The first yard sale of the day didn't start off well, as this family was still stacking boxes on the front porch, so Ed and I started heading back in the direction of more sales when we saw a bright neon YARD SALE sign advertising an otherwise unlisted sale. As we pulled up to the yard in front of the brick three-flat, the goods looked promising: wooden furniture, vintage lamps, boxes of books and cookware... and this.



I see these huge acrylic on canvas wall hangings in the window of nearly every modern antique mall, hanging above minimalist couches and shag area rugs. I've spent many a jaunt down Broadway in Edgewater drooling over the large boldness of these modern marvels, wanting one of my own but unwilling to pay the 300 dollar price tag. Who knew what this lady, who was still unearthing things from her foyer, was going to ask for it?

Five dollars. Just five dollars! It was such a great price that, contrary to the purpose of this blog, I had to buy it. So now it's hanging above my couch and my shag area rug. I just couldn't help it.

Buying things isn't really the point of this blog, even though it is a side effect and part of the fun. So I'm sorry things started out that way. The reason I wanted to start Garage Sale Reporter is, well, one, I was supposed to be a reporter (my degree is in print journalism), and two, I find so much inspiring, laughable, tacky, horrid, useful and / or weird stuff at the garage sales I go to every Saturday that sometimes I felt compelled to buy them even though I have no purpose or space for them. Sometimes I find stuff I can sell on eBay, but who wants to cram a 2-foot-tall bust of Elvis in their one-bedroom apartment for three weeks until said item is auctioned off? (And you better believe I saw a 24" Elvis bust at a yard sale two weeks ago -- damn that I didn't have my camera!).

My boyfriend Jem's grandma, another garage sale enthusiast who refers to the Salvation Army as her "favorite department store," has entire rooms in her house filled with the good bargains she got on unopened boxes of stuff she doesn't even need. So, to keep myself from dragging home every ironic painting, every odd kitchen utensil or awesome deal on a mid-century dining set, I'm just going to document it and share it here. And who knows, if I can get these postings up by Saturday night, you may still be able to run over there Sunday morning to get it for half price.

And during the off-season, you can be sure this site will be filled with thrift store wonder.

But back to the bargain hunting. I found this lovely Jesus mirror at a sale in Lincoln Square for a dollar, but didn't buy it. But I thought some of you might like a little Godly reflection, so I snapped this:



A dollar! I just searched for "Jesus Mirror" on eBay and couldn't come up with anything quite like it. Maybe I could have turned a profit?

Next was a sale any bowler would have appreciated. Aside from this awesome retro lamp and lampshade and the adjacent bowling pin lamp (also pictured), this woman had lots of retro bowling towels, plates, ashtrays, and, of course, trophies.




I didn't ask her for a price on the lamp, since she wanted eight dollars for a fairly common Bjork book, so who knows what she'd want for that awesome retro lamp shade.

I'd never seen these stickers before until today. Unfortunately, I think they'll get used more often by people who think your "offer" should be six dollars for a Foreman Grill.




This one just happened to be on a poster of New York City with the Trade Towers still intact. Quite a collector's item! (See what I mean?)

And speaking of that great unfortunateness, check out these awesome action figures:





And another action figure from a series that, I'm guessing, just didn't quite take off.





I just checked and this particular guy is currently available on eBay for 4.99 GPB.


Perhaps my favorite find from the whole day was this antique folding bench which came from an Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge. You can see it says IOOF right there on the side. The guy selling it was also selling old glass medicine bottles for a quarter each, one of which I purchased (can't beat the price), and for this lovely folding bench he wanted just fifty dollars.





What a steal! I was almost going to give him the Item of the Week Award, but then I came across THIS:




In case it's hard to tell by the super-saturated photograph (and the well-manicured lawn), this is a picture of a small (2' x 4') tiger-themed area rug on a sunny patch of grass. This unique item would fit perfectly in a bathroom, kitchen or bedroom -- the perfect accessory for any level of irony, from "Child's Room" to "Hipster Rec Room." And the price for this fantastic weaving? Just ten dollars. Hey, if you're willing to get up at seven in the morning on a Saturday, it could have been yours.

But not just the rug. I probably should have purchased this awesome 1970's framed psychedelic poster for $15, but I didn't have the room in my car after purchasing the other retro painting, although I probably could have turned this around on eBay for a solid profit:



Did you know cat urine glows under black light?

This guy's front yard made me wish I had a warehouse in Wisconsin to house odd treasures. I've never seen bottles like these before, and perhaps I never will again:



And in case we hadn't already seen enough awesome retro lamps, Tiger Rug Man had this one for sale for five dollars:



But the most interesting thing at his sale was tucked behind the black light poster on the stairs to the front porch. Can anyone tell me exactly what this is? A gypsy head? Believe me, if anyone I knew was starting a fortune tellin business, I would have bought this for them in a heartbeat. Tiger Rug Man's price? Fifteen dollars.



This guy had such a fountain of amazing and assorted fancies that I actually found the same clock radio I've had since 1987 that still works -- The Sony Dream Machine. I've had the same alarm clock for my entire life, and I've actually feared having to ever switch to another one. So imagine my relief when I actually found the same exact 1987 Sony Dream Machine (in working order, of course) for just a dollar on his front lawn. All my fears assuaged!

Sometimes, in addition to great finds, I find great impromptu retail merchandising at yard and garage sales. This week was no exception. The first in a series of awards I'll hand out to Great Impromptu Retail Merchandising goes to the man on Damen and Greenleaf who organized this in his garage: