Summertime is here in the United States and with that comes flea markets, yard and garage sales. What’s the difference? They are the same except for one thing – the venue. A yard sale usually held in a person’s yard. A flea market can be held in a large outdoor area or building and can have hundreds of vendors selling their items. A garage sale is held in a garage at a person’s home. The family car is removed to accommodate the piles of stuff on sale. If you are lucky enough to have a garage you don’t have to pack things up at the end of the sale day. Yard sale vendors may put up tents for their sale so that they can move things into the tent in the evening or give them protection from the rain or hot sun. A sale is a great way to get rid of the stuff you no longer use and make a little money. There are rules for the sellers and buyers. In most cases bring cash – no checks or credit cards. In the case of large flea markets some vendors may take credit cards but it’s rare. One of my rules is that anything put out for sale needs to be clean and in good working order. If something doesn’t work but could be fixable by someone else, put it in the “free” box. Don’t put out torn or stained clothing. The exception to that rule is jeans as some people seem to like torn and stained jeans. But at least wash them before you put them on your sale.
There are wonderful flea markets that go on for miles. The One Hundred Mile Garage Sale that starts in Red Wing, Minnesota, goes 50 miles down the Mississippi River to Winona, Minnesota and then crosses the river to Wisconsin and after going 50 miles north the path crosses back to Red Wing. My family favorite each year. The Washington County Flea Market is held at the county fairgrounds the last weekend of the month from May-October in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. The Three Hundred Mile Yard Sale goes through the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. The Pasadena Flea Market is in California. In Mesa, Arizona and warmer climates such as the south, southwest and California flea markets are every weekend and sometimes during the week. There are so many all over America that it would take days to write the list. Big ones, little ones, community, 1 or 2-day, 3-day, 4-day, weekly, monthly, only on major holiday weekends. They are fun and a great place to find that collectible you can’t live without. Continue reading “Strange Things You May See at Yard Sales”
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