How to Survive a Parking Lot Sale

Drink lots of coffee?

Take the next three days off work?

Hire moving men? (One vendor did that. .  . I kind of though she was crazy and also crazy smart!)

So the Green Shag Parking Lot Sale was last Saturday and we survived!  Here’s the booth at first set-up:

And then with JT and I awkwardly posing in front of it once a kind Green Shagger offered to take our picture.

It was fun to sit in the back and people watch (once the sun came out).  I wandered around and had to work very hard to not buy anything.  I also got to meet all the STL bloggers — Nick from Mid-Century Midwest and Hannah from Secondhand Hannah.  And I got to chat with Mr. Modtomic and his GF for a bit.

I am happy to report that the majority of things sold.  I was surprised at the things that didn’t — the four schoolhouse chairs and the brown vinyl chair with the great chrome tube legs came back home to Living Analog.  One couple ended up buying a few of our “projects” — the MCM walnut chair without cushions, a side table that was still halfway green and halfway bare wood and the alley cat zebra scratch chair I clumsily attempted to reupholster.

It didn’t turn out well and with the timeline and the amount of fabric I had, I couldn’t go back.  I was tempted to just put it back out in the alley but instead I brought it to the sale and gave the couple full disclosure before they paid up (it was priced at a whole $5 after all).  They were able to live with the clunky back and might just drape a nice throw blanket on it.  Problem solved.

So all in all, I’m glad I bucked up and did the sale.  I cleared a lot of things out of the house that we no longer had use for (the stemware racks from the kitchen, the old towel bar from the bathroom, lamps I wasn’t using for the bedroom anymore).  Some of the small items I bought specifically for the sale didn’t go though, like the nice Haskalite serving tray and another small teak and silver Danish-style serving tray along with that funky wood wine rack.  Everything I bought I liked though, so I’m happy to have it around our house for a while.

I take that back.  The chairs have got to go.  It’s crazy chair town at our house right now.  I posted them up to the list here and here.  Once those move out and JT’s latest reno goes on eBay (the Silvertone guitar), we’re going to have such an empty clean house!!!  And money for more furniture . . . which I may have already spent.  Tune in for more!

Also I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that today is my Mom’s birthday and tomorrow is my sister’s birthday.  Happy Birthday girls!