In search of size 39 Texan Boots, meet Dee Coleman

Deanna Coleman is the Head of Marketing and Communication at Greater Sydney Partnership. 

She is also the Author of the blog Cook my Way www.cookmyway.com.au 

What’s the best thing about garage sales?

Meeting new people and rummaging through other people’s lives,it’s like an open door to their worlds. And besides where else can you fina pristine condition kimono for like $15, like the one I found on Frederick St last year in Bondi. 

What’s the best thing you’ve ever bought at a garage sale?

A par of 80’s aviator Ray Bans with brown leather piping around the lenses, and a box of early 80s cassette tapes which were perfect at the time as the old Volvo I was driving only played tapes. I reman really, good sunnies and tunes, absolute life saving material. 

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a garage sale?

A man trying to sell parrots and ge was pretending that they could talk. 

What goes on in your garage sale?

I don’t have a garage but if I did I would hope that it would be put to good use brewing some home made amber nectar. 

Whose garage sale would you most like to go to?

Elizabeth Taylor’s, imagine the frocks and sunglasses and all that costume jewellery. 

What would your dream garage sale find be?

Pre-loved Texan cowboy boots in 39, just lost mine recently and they’re hard to replace. 

What’s the most treasured possession in your garage?

My imaginary E-type Jag. 

Whose second hand shoes would you most like to walk in?

My Great Grandmother’s, she came out to Australia form Scotland and they lived in a tent for two years in Sydney whilst they built their home and apparently she did most of the work whilst her husband was out building other people’s houses. I’d love to go back in time ans see what life was like for early immigrants to Australia. 

What’s your best tip for ‘Garage Sale Etiquette?”

Don’t try and sell anything that will make you cry if someone actually buys it. 

What’s your top sustainability tip?

Bokashi bins for composting. What would you do in an apartments, creates amazing plant food for your indoor plants and saves filling landfill with all sorts of nasty leeching chemicals. 

Remo Giuffre discusses his weaknesses.

Remo Giuffre is the Founder of Remo General Store and licensee of TedXSydney. 

What’s the best thing about garage sales?

Renewal. 

Whose garage sale would you most like to go to?

Martin Sharp’s. 

What would be your dream garage sale find?

I have a weakness for certain clocks and science charts. 

Who would be in your dream garage band?

The Buena Vista Social Club

What’s your best tip for ‘garage sale’ etiquette?

Easy on the old paperbacks. 

A few moment with Mr Rob “egaragesale ’ Polman

Rob Polman is the Owner of a website called Egaragesales. 

What’s the best thing about garage sales?

Watching pre-loved goods moving from house to house rather than landfill. Seeing smiles on the faces of those people who have just sold their treasures as well as on those who have acquired a bargain. 

What’s the best thing you’ve ever bought at a garage sale?

A good quality colour laser printer which wasn’t working, so got it cheap and then fixed it up. 

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a garage sale?

Shop window mannequins, so life-like. 

What goes on in your garage?

A car on the one side and a heap of stuff on the other that I don’t use but can’t bear to part with. 

What’s your top tip for garage sale etiquette? 

Respect peoples wishes when they ask for ‘No Early Birds’. This remains a huge conflict between sellers who are trying to prepare in the morning and buyers who are trying to get to as many sales as possible in search of the elusive Rembrandt. Buyers say “We’ve got the money, lets us in”. Sellers say “We need to get ourselves ready without being hassled, please wait till our start time”. 

What’s your top sustainability tip?

Don’t fall into the modern day trap of thinking that you must always have the ‘latest everything’? If what you need still does everything you need it to, there’s no need to chuck it for the newest model. 

Rob’s website www.Egaragesales.com.au has loads of tips and hints to make your garage sale a big success. 

Blokes & Sheds - Mark Thomson

Mark is the Author of Blokes and Sheds, and Makers Breakers and Menders he is also the Director of the Institute of Backyard Studies. 

Mark lives in Adelaide. 

What’s the best thing about garage sales?

The chance you might find absolutely anything. 

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at a garage sale?

An enormous collection of false teeth. 

What goes on in your garage?

The personal compost of my life story. 

Whose garage would you most like to go to?

Nikola Tesla’s. 

What would be your dream garage sale find?

A first edition Raymond Chandler novel. 

What’s the most treasured possession in your garage?

The Random Excuse Generator. 

Who would be in your dream garage band?

Miles Davis on trumpet, Django Rheinhart on guitar, Sly and Robbie as the rhythm section…for a start. 

Whose second hand shoes would you most like to walk in?

Nobody - second hand shoes never for - I know. 

What’s the best tip for ‘Garage Sale etiquette’?

For the seller - worry about having as little as possible at the end of the day i.e. flog it, don’t hold on to it. And for buyers - make it nice and gentle for sellers to part with their dear possessions. Make them smile and they will probably sell things cheaper. 

What’s your top sustainability tip? Is there a way somebody can usefully reuse that stuff you would throw ou? Somebody somewhere almost certainly wants some of your old stuff so use the Internet to find it a loving home. 

Find Mark on the internet:

The Institue of Backyard www.ibys.org also check out the exhibition The Lost Tools Henry Hoke www.cockatooisland.gov.au/events/calendar.html

The Obnoxious Owl Garage Sale

Just wanted to shine a quick light on a special garage sale happening in Perth - the Obnoxious Owl Garage Sale. 

Check it out here. 

Hosted by the inimitable (yet do they try!) trendsetter/blogger/writer Tammy Croucher, the Obnoxious Owl Garage Sale Trail is sure to fairly…special. 

“I’m thinking put-put golf, lemonade stands, smoke machines, wading pools-just the usual things you’d find at a garage sale”, says Tammy. 

Tammy even has some tips fot the day:

• Make sure you withdraw some $$$ and then go buy a coke or something because stall holders are like Big Issue sellers…they expect change! $50 notes are just going to cause problems
• Wear something that you can easily slip off and maybe wear swimmers underneath, this ain’t Myer honey - there ain’t no changerooms. 
• Be prepared to rummage and show up with an open mind and some imagination

Check the article that appeared in the West Australian newspaper

(Image Michael O’Brin WA News)