Published Tuesday, April 29, 2008 5:18 PM
Updated Tuesday, April 29, 2008 5:19 PM

 

Diamonds in the rough

Yard Sale Season has officially begun


It’s that special time of year again. Anticipation is high. Everyone wakes up early wondering what they’ll find in the morning.

No, it’s not Christmas. It’s yard sale season and in neighborhoods everywhere, yard sale signs with arrows pointing to the promised-land are popping up like weeds, some even threatening the visibility of the too-numerous-to-count political signs dotting the landscape.

Everything from used clothes to re-gifted cast-offs are there for the buying. All one needs is a car, a little cash and a willingness to do a little digging and bargaining.

The Legend Oaks subdivision held it’s own neighborhood sale Saturday and over 30 households participated. While each household provided the venue for it’s own sale, the event maximized efficiency, giving savvy bargain hunters an opportunity to shop in one small geographic location.

According to sources, sales were brisk for most of the morning. By around 11:45, Legend Oaks resident Dan Franklin said things had started to die down a bit.

“I think I’m experiencing a lull,” he said, as he straightened his merchandise. “I’ve had about 200 people here this morning. Now, people are just sort of breezing by and looking from their cars.”  

While his dad was in the backyard mowing the lawn and his mom was getting some exercise, ten-year old Nick Hollahan was busy manning his own sale. This was not the young entrepreneur’s first foray into the world of salesmanship. He specializes in marketing pre-owned and lost golf balls.

“I go out around the golf course and find balls that people lose out in the woods,” he says. “The last time I sold them, I made over $50. That was a couple of months ago.”

Not the sort to put all his golf balls into one basket, Hollahan also had a few bikes up for sale, as well as a colorful box of small plastic German-made toys which were getting a lot of attention from the younger buyers.

Carol Privette was spotted in the shade, sipping a drink from Sonic while reading the paper. Her sales technique clearly employed a more laid-back approach. No heavy-handed sales tactics here.

“It’s been slow but steady this morning,” she says. “I can’t think of a better place to do this. I can sit here, sell treasures and watch golfers miss their shots and hit the trees instead.”

Privette says she has a different clientele because she lives in the condos.

“I don’t have any children’s items – like strollers. Most of the people in the condos have smaller items that they’ve collected over the years.”

She says her adult children have advised her to just get rid of the stuff she doesn’t use – like the bean sheller that hadn’t sold yet.

“Hello. I thought it was the greatest thing to have back when I bought it,” she says, laughing. “Sometimes, you just have to pass these treasures on to someone who really needs them.”

Contact Sharon Gnau @ 873-9424, ext. 215 or sgnau@journalscene.com