[x-posted in my art blog]
Yesterday I met up with Jinny to go to the Oakland Museum‘s annual White Elephant Sale. Jinny had promised me a rummage-sale paradise, and she wasn’t exaggerating — the thing was enormous. When I got there, it was just after ten (opening time) and the line to get in went for probably six blocks or more, even though there was no admission fee; I think it was just due to everyone’s stop-and-gasp moment upon entering the warehouse! (Or the Girl Scout cookies being sold outside the door? 😉 ) The crowds were nearly overwhelming, the amount of stuff was insane, but it was all very well organized. There were clear departments, from women’s clothing to sewing to books, and within the departments there were also clearly labeled sections, so there was very little need for hunting around (just fighting the crowds!). There were numerous volunteers there, all in matching white shirts, at every step of the way: someone just moving around the department to answer questions and hand out shopping baskets, someone ready to calculate your totals and wrap your purchases, and then a cashier to take the money. There was also a check stand for purchases, so you could always have your hands free for more looking and buying! At regular intervals, amusing announcements would come over the PA system: “May I have your attention please. Richard, your wife is looking for you and would like you to meet her at Sporting Goods. Actually, she insists that you meet her. She says you disappeared as soon as you stepped in the door and she hasn’t seen you for two hours.” “Joyce, your dad would like to see you in the Music department. He has found something that will make your day.” “Michelle, you have left an item in Bric-a-Brac which is surely your most important purchase of the day. Please return to pick it up. Incidentally, it’s a pair of scissors.”
We were there for just about three hours. I bought items in Sewing, Bric-a-Brac, and Household, and they were all very reasonably priced. I had expected the sale to be a little like the Vintage Expo — individual vendors with lots of treasures — but it wasn’t quite like that. I think next time I go (and I’m very tempted to go again today, when they mark everything down…) I will bring a list, instead of just hunting around. Thanks to my crafting and my regular thrifting expeditions, I always have kind of a running list in my head, but I think this event is really better suited to list shopping than just browsing. For one thing, it’s too huge to browse every section without fatigue. For another, the possibility of finding dirt-cheap gems is actually pretty slim. The volunteer army has sorted through everything prior to the sale, so items that are really worth something are priced accordingly (though prices were all very reasonable). Moreover, with so many shoppers, really unusual items probably get picked up right away; I think my decision to stop at Sewing first was probably a good strategy! So I didn’t really find any special items to crow over, but I did pick up a lot of useful stuff for really cheap — which is why I will bring a list next time. I got loads of zippers (ten cents each!) and envelopes (fifty cents a pack!). Next time I go, I will make a giant list of everything I need for anything — I was wishing I’d brought my emergency-supplies list when I saw the camping section — and just fly through the sections as quickly as I can!
When I left the sale, I was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty, but after a burrito and a giant horchata, and my iPod and air-conditioning in the car, I was feeling up for some more action. So when I turned off the freeway and saw a sign for an estate sale close to our house, I decided to go. Also, the signage was excellent: brightly colored, neatly written, and with clear arrows; I figured it was a good sign (haha! pun not intended!). I turned my way up winding hill streets, and soon discovered that the sale was for the estate of a hatmaker. OMG. Soooo many fabrics, textile books, and old issues of Threads. It turned out to be the last hour of the second day of the sale (second of three), so everything was marked down 30% off — but when I showed up to the cash box with my purchases, the lady confessed she was just plain tired, so she gave me a ridiculous, ridiculous deal. I bought the same quantity of stuff at this estate sale as I did at the White Elephant Sale, and I spent even less.
Under $50 for all this!
From left to right in the image: old calendars, fabrics, a wooden tray, a framed German antique map (I bought three from the estate sale and could have picked up more… they were so beautiful!), funny green metal stand/hanger thing, clear vintage sewing box, zippers, walking foot, bobbins, embroidery floss, cigar box, vintage postcards, four packs of envelopes, vintage briefcase (an amazing find from the estate sale), tons of interfacing, a giant spool of black twill tape, two reproduction jerboas which I saw in a museum catalog years ago and was thrilled to find at the estate sale, a handmade plate, a Heath bowl, several rolls of ribbon, and two weekly planners which I will use as journals (I started doing this when I discovered some old ones in Erik’s parents’ house).
Fabulous.
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