Saturday's Alright (For Siting)

Over the weekend, the church down the street from me (not the huge monstrosity church, this is a different one. I live in an old neighborhood, lotsa churches,) had their annual Rummage Sale, so, naturally I had to stop and shop (Jesus wanted me to!). I go every year and always come away with something: Records, books, retro knick knacks, etc. One year I found this totally awesome, retro orange casserole dish, WITH lid, for like $2. That was the shiznit! This year I found a few books. No records in sight. :( You'd think church rummage sales might bite, simply because the people throwing them are, well, Christians. But 'lo! There are always plenty of old people who attend church and/or, sadly, pass away, leaving behind all kinds of stuff they consider "junk," which sometimes, translates into bargains for me. Just call me Frances! In addition, the congregation at older churches also harbor plenty of empty nesters, whose children of the 70's and 80's have moved away and left behind their retro rummage.

On my way to the ATM, the morning of the rummage sale, I passed a neighborhood that seemed to harbor garage sale signs aplenty, so I made a mental note to come back and check a few of them out. I enjoy garage sales on occasion, but more often than not, the garage sales around here fall into 3 categories:
[1] The Rugrat Extravaganza- These are the sales I drive by faster than the mall at Christmas time. You know, the ones that you can tell at a glance consist of only children's crummy old clothes and crappy leftover Happy Meal toys and those cheapo books with the strip of electronic sounds on one side that you can press, while "reading" the book. No thanks. Children will undoubtedly be present. Pass.
[2] The Craptacular Closeout- These are the garage sales that look promising (without your glasses), yet once you've parked and are on your way up the driveway, you realize that it's just some old man's misc. workshop/garage leftovers. You know, shit like: An old mayonnaise jar filled with rusty nails, a frisbee, rusted out farm utensils sans the handles, old back issues of Field and Stream, a broken Pocket Fisherman, carpet samples, boxes of misc. parts, etc. Save yourself some time and put that stuff by the curb. Pass.
[3] The Water Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink Sale- These are the WORST! They look fantastic and there are tons of interesting things to look at. I stress "look at" because once you check for a price and/or have to ASK for a price (Fuck that. The worst!), you find out that apparently this man/woman has gotta be outta their mind. I hesitate even calling these aberrations "garage sales," on the merit that you have to SELL something. Over-priced "treasures" that will all be repacked at the end of the day. Good riddance.
And last, but certainly not least, the much sought after, yet rarely found:
[4] Jackpot! Sale- These are the cool sales where you can actually find BOOKS (it's appalling how many people don't have any friggin' books in their garage sales. Always a bad omen.), old records, magazines, board games, puzzles and other misc. items. Teachers have some of the best garage sales, next to single people and elderly women. Good times! Yes, please!

After the church rummage sale, I went back to the neighborhood that had signs saying "HUGE Garage Sale!" As it turned out, there was a cul de sac in the neighborhood that was playing host to not one, but 4 garage sales! Whee! Another reason I don't go to garage sales very often: all that stopping and starting. Bleah. The first garage sale was of the #1 variety (*refer to categories above). The second sale had some old cookbooks, one of which I bought, so that wasn't a complete loss. The third sale was composed mostly of junk. And the 4th sale (pictured) had potential, but the prices were completely fucked up. I saw a small, retro kitty trio vase that I wanted: $10. Not gonna happen. Some cool old wooden spools (like thread used to come on). Okay, before I go any further, let me explain this one, 'cause I know you're thinking "Why would he want some old fuckin' wooden spools?" When I watched the R. Crumb documentary, I noticed that he had drawn faces on some wooden spools and I liked the idea. So, anyway, you had to buy the entire Folger's Coffee can full of them. No thanks. I only wanted maybe 5 or 6 to experiment with. I took a few pictures (top secret-style), 'cause I wanted you to see the all-consuming box-o-yarnballs as well as some of the other "treasures," apparently on loan from the Smithsonian Institute. Geeze, Louise. The woman was guarding this thing like it was Fort Knox. And at these prices, I guess that makes sense. Needless to say, I passed.

And last, but certainly not least, I decided to drive to a nearby town and visit their Salvation Army. They always have great prices, plenty of records and clothes, so I thought "Why not? What else have I got to do today?" The Salvation Army is located in a small old town whose retro history is still evident. I like going to this town because it's quaint and has a homey feel. I used to visit there A LOT more often when they still had a Mott's 5¢ and 10¢ store, but unfortunately the chain was run into the ground (not unlike Woolworth's) by the likes of Walmart and those cheap-ass Dollar Stores. Too bad, too, 'cause Mott's was one of those places that still had wood floors, those heavy metal and canvas shopping baskets, goldfish (that were actually taken care of, unlike the fish cemeteries they call "fishtanks" at Walmart), a glass popcorn machine where you could buy a bag of popcorn and actual Halloween candy and decorations each year. I really miss that. :( So, anyway, I digress. The Salvation Army is located in an old department store that I think is just too cool. It must have been quite swank back in its' heyday. The records, books, games, puzzles and misc. Knick knacks are all located upstairs. Downstairs consists mainly of clothing and furniture. Such a great space. Very I Know What You Did Last Summer.

On the way to the downtown area of this old town, you will pass plenty of retro signage, located on the other side of the railroad tracks. These poor old signs are works of art from a forgotten era that in contrast to today's signs, look outdated and kinda sad. Regardless, when I see these signs, I can't help but smile, thinking about what cool "hot spots" these places must have been at one time. I love these kind of retro signs and have a penchant for photographing them when I see them (and happen to have my camera with me). One of these days I will have to post some of my other favorites. They don't seem too hard to find. Just go to any older area of town and/or neighboring town and they'll be there waiting for you, ready for their closeup.

Tune in tomorrow to see the fruits of my labors!