Our 1st garage sale…“So, you are the guys going on the boat?” was stated a few times today. “Yeh, that’s us,” we replied. Which was followed by;
“That’s brave…
A little crazy
Good on you.”
And there is always someone that has to tell you about a disaster they know of. Fortunately, we quite like these stories because we learn of ways people get themselves into (and out of) trouble or what to avoid in the first place. We also like checking out these stories on YouTube.
So where to start…
Massive thank you to Bill who helped us clean out the garage and get it ready. He cleaned a never-ending supply of crystal and at 2am he decided to count the cash float (Scrooge McDuck style) in order to know how much money we will make. I am unsure if the cricket was boring or if he woke up with that in his head. Either way thanks Bill.
We met numerous characters who started arriving at 10 past 6 am. I am serious. I am not sure why I am surprised as some of the ads I saw when researching said “strictly not before” their nominated start time. Now I understand why. Our dogs greeted them and I politely told the first person to return at 7am.
Rob, a close friend of our’s, turned up a 6.40am walking past the already small group of people waiting to grab a bargain.
Rob was a god-send.
Having had a garage sale before, he thought we would need help with our 1st garage sale for the first rush. And he was right. We had our own scaled down version of the boxing day rush. They were worried they would miss a bargain they did not know they needed yet. I had a David Attenborough commentary going on in my head about some of the behaviours in front of me. The first hour was intense. All the toys sold out immediately. After the rush settled down Rob took his leave. Greatly appreciated Rob.
The day settled down into a steady pace with one quiet spot for 10 minutes around 10.30 where there was nobody here. We took the moment to restock shelves. Finally, around 12.30 we could sit down for the first time. Martin grabbed an ice block while I poured a glass of wine. We took the weight of our feet. We had a couple more punters turn up in the last half hour.
Some people we met…
A gorgeous Argentine lady, who has made a serious niche food business of making and selling Argentine food. Empanadas (equivalent to our pies or a British pastie). She also makes Argentine cookies, cakes and chocolate. And here’s the good news, she lives just around the corner and some of them her items are gluten free. Happy Dance. We learnt she misses home (which is very close to where my brother lives in Argentina). However, she loves Australia and living in Brisbane. It was wonderful to hear how much she loves our amazing country and the opportunities they are finding here.
Then there was an eccentric disorganised artist lady. She made a grand entrance by spilling beetroot juice when she arrived. She then proceeded to leave a trail of beetroot juice behind her. The good news is she purchased the items that she colour enhanced. She was talkative and would probably test the capabilities of the most experience negotiator.
Enter on queue my friend Tom, a mediator, who so very kindly brought us coffee and biscuits. I jokingly said in a Facebook live to bring coffee. I love you Tom. Sorry we did not get to talk properly. Tom however listened ever so patiently to our new beetroot juice artist friend.
Then there was a lovely couple that drove down from the Sunshine Coast to collect the coffee tables that solved a number of problems for them. Size, functionality and looks. They told us that they had been looking for a while.
I love it when someone else loves what I love.
We met a mother and daughter who bought a lovely trinket box with crystal bits and pieces and my car hail blanket. The mother was so happy to get the hail blanket. Her carport had recently been removed and she was worried about her car getting hail damage with the storms. She could not afford a new hail blanket. I think that made her day.
Along the same vein was a young couple who came in rather late in the day and spotted the Gerni in the corner. They bought it for her father who’s Gerni had died only yesterday and he was devastated.
It was also lovely to see familiar faces walk down the drive. Some of our friends who live nearby bought a small collection of things, books (20), furniture, glass ware and more. And one of my hats for this year’s Melbourne Cup. So happy to have it go to an appreciative home.
And finally, the day wound down at about the same time as our energy did, or was it the second glass of wine as we were both chillaxing after a full on couple of days. I had a well earned power nap before we headed off to the boat to tinker. Not bad for our 1st garage sale.
Hit Repeat…. Look forward to seeing more of life’s kaleidoscope in next week’s garage sale number 2.
