Junk Sales

I checked out a little rummage sale after The Color Run in Ventura Saturday afternoon. All manner of junk was laid out on display, from tacky 1990s ties (I did like the high-tech computer themed one with the boxy mouse and 3 1/2 floppy disk patterns) to legitimate antique snowshoes and cameras. I'd passed an old clothes iron-- nothing too fancy, just an thin metal iron with a cloth wrapped electrical cord-- and I excitedly pointed it out to my girlfriend, who laughed at me for being a lame nerd. I explained that it was the right size for the storage space of my in-wall ironing board cabinet, and it fit the time period the apartment I live in was built, but after realizing it'd be a dumb investment (I have an iron, and also the wiring looked less than fire safe) I passed it up to flip out over other antiques and junk I wouldn't buy either for their price or lack of practicality.

Some of my favorite things as a kid were yard sales. Big rummage sales, garage sales, any form of temporary crap-laid-out-so-I-don't-have-to-pay-a-dump-fee setup was something I looked out for. The rush that came with finding cool crap I didn't need that I could buy for a buck was fantastic. Sifting through a veritable time capsule of tacky shirts, useless "As Seen On TV" appliances, dusty knickknacks, and unidentifiable parts of things that might have been useful at some point, was almost like an archaeological dig. After spending $10 on a menagerie of odds and ends, the feeling of satisfaction that came with having a bigger trove of useless shit made my whole day. When my family would have yard sales, a fair chunk of what I'd amassed would go, and the perpetual cycle of yard sale stuff continued.

Like I've mentioned before, my apartment is a testament of my polished ability to collect yard sale crap and thrift store goodies. Some things end up being really cool antiques. Other things end up being placeholders for things I can't afford right away. Most of the stuff just looks kind of neat or ends up being kind of useful, but whatever the case for having a bunch of yard sale and thrift store crap may be, my place is decked out with the stuff. Is it environmentally sensible reusing and repurposing secondhand stuff? Sure, I guess. Is it trendy and cool? I don't know, actually. Is it cheap as hell? You betcha. That's why I still like rummage sales.

Before leaving the sale in Ventura, I spent a couple bucks on a Clinton administration pin for my girlfriend and a classic Mammoth Mountain pin for myself. Useless, sure, but neat, so I feel like it's worth it. After getting home and as the week progressed, my dad informed me that the Independence Lion's Club White Elephant Sale* is this weekend and they needed me to help set up. That means I get first pick on the coolest junk they've collected and kept in storage for the last year or so, and even though I don't think I'll find anything worth anything it'll still be fun to see what stuff there is to be had. Being around old junk is neat to me, so I look forward to it.


(*If you're in the Independence, California area this Saturday around 9AM, be sure to check out the Independence Lion's Club White Elephant Sale at the Chevron station in the middle of town for awesome deals on furniture, clothes, toys, and more. Proceeds go toward the community so it'd be cool of you to take a peek if you're in town.)