Adventures in Rummage and Resale: Fall Rummage Fun!

While the spring and summer months are often considered prime time for rummage sales, I’ve found that I look forward to the late-season autumn sales just as much. This is a great time of year to have a sale—the weather is a bit more predictable and there aren’t as many sales competing with yours as in the spring.

As a shopper, I prefer browsing in cooler weather, rather than on a hot, sticky summer day. And while it’s difficult to look at sweaters or think about buying snowpants or Christmas decorations in July, now is the perfect time. The weather this weekend is spectacular and I plan to get out and make the most of it!  What better way to spend a few glorious hours outdoors Friday and Saturday than hitting some sales?

Autumn sales are often what I term “desperation sales” and the prices reflect that! These are the people who intended all summer to have a sale and now realize their window of opportunity is closing fast. They’re eager to get rid of stuff.  Or it may be folks who had a sale in July or August that didn’t go as well as they’d hoped, so they’re trying again. Prices seem a bit lower overall and sellers are usually eager to negotiate.

I’m happy to report that some good autumn sales have helped me get my rummage mojo back! Due to personal circumstances, I rummaged only sporadically this summer and when I did, my heart just wasn’t in it. But as the weather changed, my attitude started to change, too, largely due to one wonderful weekend. On that Friday and Saturday, I seemed to find little treasures at every stop, and I was thrilled. 

People often ask if I’m looking for something in particular when I rummage.  Certainly, there are some items I’m always watching for—boys’ jeans in a particular size, Game Cube video games, and the Fiesta dinnerware that I collect—but often, my favorite finds are the things I never even knew I was looking for. And the most exciting and memorable finds aren’t necessarily “Antiques Roadshow” caliber, but those that have special meaning.

For instance, on my special weekend, I found a baby blanket that I just had to have. It was the exact blanket that was one of my children’s beloved “blankie” all through childhood, but in brand-new condition. Just seeing it brought tears to my eyes and it was fun to show that child what his much-loved scrap of fabric had looked like at one time. Did I need it? No, but it was a sweetly sentimental find for $1 and I’ll tuck it away and maybe give it to a grandchild someday.

I went to another sale because the ad mentioned Lia Sophia jewelry.  I’m a sucker for jewelry so I had to go.  I didn’t get there until late in the day, but they still had some left, including a box with a necklace and four pendants to go on that necklace, all for $6. Now that was a great price, but even better when I realized that one of the pendants was not Lia Sophia, but Silpada, and it was sterling silver and amber. I’d seen the piece in the Silpada catalog a few years earlier and loved it, but couldn’t justify the $40 price tag. Woo-hoo, talk about a cheap thrill!  The same sale also had some pieces of Fiesta dinnerware that I collect. Nothing rare or valuable, but I’m always happy when I can pick up a few spare pieces for a couple of bucks. Score!

The week before I’d bought a cute cotton cardigan at a church sale, with tables full of clothing. It looked like it may have been part of a twin set, with a matching top to wear underneath, but I couldn’t find the other part. So would you believe that on that quirky day I found the matching top at another sale? An exact match, right down to the size, just a week later—unreal.  Indeed, the rummage luck was strong that day! And it just went on and on…a fun Brewers bookcover for my son, my daughter’s favorite style of jeans in her size, some fun striped glassware, and a spare set of beaters that fit my mother’s mixer which I just inherited. I hated to stop and go home—I was giddy with what I call a “rummage high.” I probably won’t have as much success the rest of the season, but that I’ll remember that weekend for a long time to come.

So what about you? Have you ever had a day of second-hand shopping that was unforgettable because of the things you found? Have you ever experienced a “rummage high”? Tell us about it—and good luck in these waning days of the outdoor rummage season!