THIS STORY RAN IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE NEWTON KANSAN ON AUG. 16, 2008:
Editor’s note: The Kansan asked its readers about their garage sale adventures. Here are their heartwarming and funny stories:
Garage sale isn’t
what mom thought
My mom loves garage sales. She is always on the lookout for a big bargain.
One day, she was driving along on her way to her mom’s house when she saw a garage and driveway full of stuff.
She parked her car, got out and started looking around.
There were all kinds of things, such as baby toys, sports equipment and household items.
As she was looking around, she felt kind of strange. She noticed there was no one at the house looking around, and then she noticed there weren’t any price tags or a sign in the yard.
She looked at the owners of the house and they were smiling.
“Is this a garage sale?” my mom said.
“No, but it should be,” the husband replied as they both started laughing.
My mom’s face turned tomato red as she apologized then hightailed it back to her car.
Now my mom always looks for a sign before stopping at a sale — or what looks like one!
— Amy Kondziola,
North Newton
Garage sale leads
to ‘return’ of vase
gone in tornado
It was my garage sale find of the day — a beautiful vase made in Czechoslovakia.
I placed it in a special spot on a shelf in our living room.
In 1990, a ravaging tornado swept through Hesston, destroying our home and most of our possessions — including an identical vase.
Several years later, while visiting our son and daughter-in-law in Olathe, a garage sale sign across the street beckoned me.
Scanning the tables of china and glassware, I heard myself gasp and blurt out, “Oh, I had one just like that!”
I didn’t realize the owner had heard me. She moved closer, asking me which piece had prompted my gasping comment.
Upon sharing the story, I realized that vase had not been thought of in two years. So why should I want it now?
I left the garage sale empty-handed.
Two weeks later, a package arrived.
Puzzled, and knowing I hadn’t ordered anything, I ripped open the paper and, much to my surprise — you guessed it — there was that beautiful vase.
It still graces a spot on a shelf in our living room, only in a different home.
It sheds new light on the saying, “Good can come from bad.”
— Mildred
Martens-Unruh,
Hesston
PeeWee Herman
doll might have
brought big bucks
I used to watch a channel that had a show about antiques, FXFX, I believe.
After watching one morning, I stopped at a few garage sales and someone had a PeeWee Herman doll for sale for $1.
This was not too long after the publicized scandal about him.
You would think the value of the doll would go down, but I had just seen where it brought somewhere close to $300.
I almost bought it, but I thought the lady should at least know and have the option of keeping it and selling it elsewhere.
Smart lady — she kept it.
Not so smart me — never did know when to keep my mouth shut. Just kidding. I did the right thing.
— J.D. Hale,
Newton
Family moving into
home gets visitor
More than 30 years ago, having followed my usual circuit of Friday garage sales, I was determined to head for home but just couldn’t resist the appeal of one more driveway and porch covered with “treasures.”
I smiled at the lady in the garage as I started picking through the boxes and piles, surprised at all the “good stuff.”
She kindly asked if she could help me.
“No, I’m just looking,” I said.
She then said, “Honey, this isn’t a garage sale. We’re just moving in.”
— Shirley Fisher
Langloys,
Wichita,
formerly of Newton
Man’s miracle offer
ends garage sale
In 2003, when my daughter, Robyn, and family from Malaga, Spain, were visiting us, Robyn said, “Let’s help Darin (her brother) have a garage sale.”
We arrived in Wamego on a Thursday evening, working on pricing until 3 a.m.
The light of day, the humidity and the heat of August came too early. A handwritten sign nailed to a pole down the street brought the first shoppers at 6 a.m.
With sweat dripping and two little boys eager to “help take the money,” we were quite surprised when a gentleman drove up on his garden tractor.
He surveyed the merchandise with interest, asking about prices.
After purchasing some items, he said, “What would you take for all of it?”
Caught off guard, Robyn quickly assessed the situation and said, “How about $450?”
He said, “I’ll take it.”
While he exchanged his tractor for a truck, we boxed up all items fast and furious.
Soon he came with traveler’s check in hand.
By 11:30 a.m., we and Darin had gone to validate and deposit the check and were at the pizza shop, celebrating the garage sale miracle!
— Ruth Miller,
Newton
Family treasures
find a way home
Several years ago, at a garage sale, I bought a wooden box with wheels on it with a fan attached to the top.
I was going to rebuild the box and put the fan inside the box to use on the patio.
Years passed, and I had moved the box many times. I thought it was time to fix it and use the fan.
When I opened the box, I was shocked to find antique toys, old hats, school annuals, school papers and many wonderful drawings that were very nicely done.
I didn’t remember exactly where I had bought the box, so I couldn’t return the items, so I just hung onto them.
There was a person’s name in the annual, but I didn’t know who he was.
A few years passed by, and we started going to Columbus Avenue Church.
One night at supper with friends, this person’s name came up.
Something rang a bell with the name, so I went back and looked at the annual and, sure enough, there it was again.
Come to find out, he has passed away, but we were going to church with his wife and his whole family — and these were his drawings.
His wife was sure shocked when we brought over the stuff we had bought at her garage sale they didn’t know they had sold.
I think the man upstairs had a plan when I bought this stuff — to get it back where it belonged.
— Norman Schmidt,
Newton
Sale yields one
big breadmaker
My husband was a garage sale addict.
I knew when the car braked suddenly it was for a garage sale. In his favor, though, he also loved to have garage sales.
He was a gifted salesman and would make money by having his own garage sales. (However, he did not buy at other’s sales for the purpose of selling it again.)
One of the memorable items he bought for me was a breadmaker. This was before electric ones were invented.
A chrome bucket that held about five gallons had a lid and a large hook that turned with a handle.
As I remember, it was designed for 10 loaves of bread.
He thought I would be delighted with his find and, of course, he looked forward to lots of homemade bread.
It didn’t work well with less than 10 loaves, and it didn’t dampen his enthusiasm when I told him the oven would only hold three loaves.
I tried to sell it in one of our garage sales, but he insisted on keeping it.
The other item I considered useless was an eight-gallon bucket of nuts, bolts and screws.
He thought it was a find because he would always be able to find what he wanted. Of course, it might take more than an hour to find it.
I sold both items after he died.
— Jessie Bryant,
Newton
