TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL GARAGE SALE

Whether you're moving or just looking for a little extra cash for the holidays, Fall is a great time to have a Garage Sale! When we lived in Florida, our gated community would hold a community Garage Sale, usually on a Saturday & Sunday in November, which also included them advertising the sale. Our last Garage Sale was two years ago - just before we moved out to Arizona. Having lived here now for coming up on two years, we've acquired a few extra things, plus we're ready to let go of some things we were holding onto since moving from Florida. I knew I wanted to have a Garage Sale at the end of October, so I started by purging the clothing closets, bringing most apparel items to a local consignment shop. What didn't consign, I held onto for the Garage Sale. After the closet cleanse, I started to go room by room - searching storage ottomans, other closets, cabinets, drawers and storage case pieces to pull together items to sell. Within two days of having our sale, we not only made almost $1000 dollars, we also got rid of items no longer fitting our lifestyle, and donated the remains of the sale to Goodwill. Here are some tips to help you ensure a successful Garage Sale...

1. STAGING AREA 
1. Designate a staging or holding area for all the items you're collecting from the house to sell. I used some extra large moving boxes in our garage to hold ours. 2. After pulling together items to sell, decide how many tables you would need to display / merchandise your items.

2. FIXTURES NEEDED 
1. If you only have one round table, borrow two banquet tables from work or a local shop for your sale. 2. If the table tops are in good condition, don't worry about covering, but if needing to be covered, sheets work great. In  FL I covered our tables, but for this sale in AZ, I utilized underneath the table to display small rugs, outdoor planters and wreaths. 3. Other display fixture options are ladders and stacking a box on top of a box. 4. A collapse rolling rack can work for apparel, or ask a local store if they have a t-stand (item rack) to borrow.

4. CATEGORIZE ASSORTMENT 
1. Group like items together: a. Holiday Decor b. Glass / Ceramic Decor  c. Dishes/Barware  d. Table Linens: Cloths | Runners | Place-mats | Napkins e.Rugs/Runners f. Window Panels  g. Pillows. (TIP: Pull together all pillows into a box and sell all at one price-point OR display color coordinated pillows with window panels and/or rugs - this can be your silent sales-person!)

5. PRE-SET FIXTURES 
1. If you have the space in your garage, pre-set tables with your categorized statements -- this way, the morning of your sale, you and your partner can just carry pre-set tables into their place (TIP: Before moving pre-set tables, remove any tall breakable items -- to avoid them tipping and breaking). 2. Ladders can be an excellent means of displaying window panel pairs with coordinated pillows. 

6. PRICING  
1. Price Point like items grouped together for a quick sale - for example: a rack of tops  can all be $3 each. Also window panels & pillow pairs can be signed as 2 for items. (TIP: Be aware of what items sell for at your local thrift store & price below for quick sale.) 3. Your local office supply store or Walmart carries Avery brand pre-priced garage sale stickers and is a worth while investment because it saves time for pricing. 4. Have a Sharpie handy to write your own prices on blank price dots - large squares of paper

7. SIGNING  
1. Although you can get really fancy with your computer and print signs --  just use good old school poster-board and markers for signs, but print half sheet flyers to post at mailboxes and leave on neighborhood doors the evening before your sale. 2. Using neon colored poster-board will ensure your signing stands out. (TIP: One poster-board can be cut into quarters to give 4 signs from one board.) 3. Use all one color neon (we used neon green). 4. Mylar / helium balloons in coordinating board color also helps people find their way to your sale. 5. Pencil in guidelines with a ruler when writing out your sign (spacing and letter size important to make it easy for people to read at a glance while driving).

Important to include on your Garage Sale sign: 
a. Event title (Garage / Yard Sale) 
b. Street Name (number not necessarily needed - when  they drive down  street, they will see your event)
c. Start and end time of your sale
d. Days & dates of sale (so people know it's a NEW sale & not a leftover sign from another sale)
e. Arrows -- Add LAST while posting signs

8. MORNING OF SALE SET 
1. Carry out pre-set tables into the driveway. 2. Set statements on an angle to left and right side of the driveway, leaving a main aisle down the center. (TIP: Having tables set on an angle will help viability from cars driving by to see what you're selling.) 3. Utilize the inside of the garage, especially the floor, to open and layout any area rugs (TIP: Vacuum rugs + fluff shag rugs with a rake!) 4. Set larger furniture pieces to the front of your sale 

 

FURNITURE PRESENTATION TIP: 
1. If selling chair pairs, set one forward and another as a profile so people can see lines & style from both angles at a glance. 
2. If furniture item is old and dirt cheap, add price sign. If newer and higher priced, do not sign so people will come in to your sale and ask -- You'll have a better opportunity to try to "sell" this item (or they'll see something else) if engaged in a convo). 
3. Use stacked boxes inside garage to lean & angle wall art for people to see everything at a glance vs. keeping all pictures together in one stack. 

 

 

TIP: Pick a space with good natural light to snap a few pics of your garage sale items - Share these pics in a Facebook Sneak Peek garage Sale Album - FILLED with hashtags -- also share album link on G+,  and especially share pics of sale items & event on Twitter and Instagram...

 

TIP: Since Craigslist has a limited amount of photos you can post, create a few image quads, again of similar merchandise you're selling (and minus the "tips"!)

 

 

TIP: If someone is coming by to pick up something they spotted from your online shares, pull a few extra goodies aside just for them -- they can result in an additional sale, and you'll know your finds are going to a good place...

 

Other Garage Sale Notes & Tips: 

1. At the end of our sale day one, we were able to easily roll up unsold rugs, bring tables inside, and bring in unsold furniture -- and pull back out easily the next morning.

2. Since many items sold off tables day one, I walked through the house to double check for any other items I could part with and sell. Some sold, and what didn't, it at least helped to replenish the tables with product.

3. Simple office file boxes work great on tables to hold loose items like table linens and makes it easy for people to file through. 

4. Open up and display pretty prints and patterns -- try to keep similar color stories together for greater impact. Table runners are good to use displayed on tables, under file box of table linens.

5. If you have any lanterns or hanging light fixtures, use the edge of the garage door opening to display them hanging. (When I had the lanterns in a box, people didn't look, but when I hung them - they sold!)

6. Be aware of any sprinklers that may go off next to your driveway -- We used to plant containers to temporarily cover two, and removed after the sale. 

7. If you have a business, have business cards handy to pass out and help promote your business or gain new customers. Also be sure to have newspaper to wrap breakable goods and a stash of bags to help them carry their garage sale score!

8. Be sure to be present, greet all customers and operate your sale with at least two people -- for safety and to help ensure all opportunities for a sale! 

 

After the sale: Box up unsold items, itemize for taxes, and drop off donations to your nearest thrift store -- We donated to Goodwill. After we dropped off our donations, we road around the neighborhood to collect signs, flyers and balloons from the sale.

 

TIP: If you have specific special finds to sell, contact local shops and share your garage sale event with friends -- You never know who may stop by to buy! After all the visits to Kim's Sweet Salvage in Phoenix, I was able to contact her and let her know of some items she may be interested in -- and she was! - from x-back chairs, to fabric, a silver tray, a fur cape and vintage opera gloves -- perfect for Sweets!

We asked each person who came to the sale, " What brought you here today?" and learned it was a combination of the flyers in the door, the signs posted on the road, and the ad we posted with pictures on Craigslist. Traditionally, we've held our Garage Sale's on Saturday & Sunday (read Merchandising a Garage Sale to Sell! and Summer Garage Sale & Tips) But here in AZ, we noticed many have them on Friday's and not Sundays. We actually had more traffic on Friday morning (from moms walking or taking their kids to school) than we did on Saturday. In all, 75% of the people who came to our Garage Sale, bought something -- mainly because of the presentation - they could easily see something they liked, and we were priced fairly.

 

Thanks for stopping by Kim Rawlins of Sweet Salvage!

Put these tips to the test and you too can have a successful Garage Sale -- The weather this Fall is perfect to have one -- make a few extra dollars for the holidays, clear some clutter, and even meet some of your neighbors!

Thanks for stopping by! 

 

8 TIP CHECKLIST FOR THE FALL SEASON

Although Fall officially begins on September 22, the passing of Labor Day usually signifies the end of Summer. Over the weekend, my mindset was exactly just that: Get ready for Fall. I think it comes natural to me having grown up in the northeast - Back to school typically started after Labor Day (not in late July like it did here in some areas of Arizona!) From packing up Summer whites (in spite of what some fashion magazines say), swapping straw handbags for black patent totes or fringe hobo bags in the closet - to even swapping white lamp shades for black - here is a quick little checklist to get you too inspired and ready for a new season...

1. Fall Organize: 
Spring cleaning always gets all the fuss, but Fall cleaning is another must: Closets, mudroom, garage all accumulate a disarray of piles. Set aside some time to refold jeans & tees piles - even consolidate. Think about adding a few large baskets or trunks into your decor to prevent your home from a toy takeover. Adding hooks in the laundry or mudroom can help organize scarves + hats + coats later this winter. After organizing, pull together a pile for donation or even to sell at consignment. Combing through closets, nooks, corners, bins and drawers, you may even acquire enough goodies for a garage sale.

2. Plan a Garage Sale: 

If you're looking for motivation for organizing your closets, garage, basement or living spaces, think of having a garage sale in the upcoming cooler months. When organizing, carve a space to stage what you can sell - even if it's utilizing the guest room. Ask neighbors if they'd like to participate - pick a date, plan an ad on Craigslist plus blog about it, tweet it and share on Facebook to ensure a successful sale (regardless of your location). Think categories, price-points, and utilizes boxes as bins (for all those pillows!). Folding tables are great to fan-display window panels (price-point sign + include measurements). Ask a local department store if you can barrow a rack for hanging clothing (easier to shop than the ground). Kids toys? Bag & bundle. Use the extra funds for Halloween costumes or upcoming holiday parties & gifts.

3. Fall Clean:
Clean air ducts, ceiling fans, and dust under the bed. Flip mattress and sofa cushions. Dust off doors and molding edges. Even area rugs, if not switched out or replaced, can be rotated to prevent wear from foot track pattern. Besides vacuuming & spot cleaning rugs, a small rake works wonders to re-fluff a shag rug. Wash small accent rugs, pillow covers, duvet covers, throws and blankets. In dusty states (like here in AZ) be sure to maintain switching air filters for efficiency. Along with washing home essentials, take boots to shoe repair for new heels and a good cleaning - far less expensive than buying all new. Wash and hang winter scarves and pashminas. One other area to clean (outside the house)your vehicle - from dusting door jams, to vacuuming the back seat to clearing out the trunk and door pockets - make like Nike and just do it!

4. Yard-work:
Sweep stoops, corners and doorways. A leaf blower & shop vac can be useful tools to help make yard-work easier. Brush & hose down garage doors and window ledges. Paint or polish (if you have wood) front door for a welcoming Fall entry. Trim and discard plants that didn't survive summers heat (or rains depending on where you are). Stack & store extra plant containers for next Spring. Plan on adding some colorful mums later this month for Fall. Now is also good time to plan on cleaning gutters and replacing weather stripping. Some of your yard-work elements can be recycled for fireplace kindling (twigs & pinecones) or fall decor (branches).

5. Shift & Switch Decor:
To create a dramatic difference in refreshing your home for Fall, try switching out white accessories for deep & rich blacks, browns and charcoal - from pillow covers to vases. No dark vases? No problem: a quick coat of spray paint can easily refresh existing pieces and create a new setting. Switch coastal images for forest landscapes. Edit cool silver accents - switch to a warm brass mix for Fall. En-lieu of pinecones - save them for winter, and fill containers with wine corks or heavy rope. Replace summer white candles with black, brown, charcoal or Fall colors for autumn - Switch back to creamy white in winter. Even a change in lamp shades from simple white or prints can create a dramatic difference if you switch to black.

6. Stockpile Spices
With baking season just around the corner, now is the time to note what spices you'll need: cinnamon, nutmeg. ginger, all spice, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla. This also means it's time to dust off the recipe box and comb through all those pinned recipes to print & add to it. Keep an eye out for specials and coupons for holiday cooking. While in the kitchen, take the time to organize containers + lids, serve ware, and dishes. If you have open shelves, displays on display or extras stacked on an open island - now's a great time to load up the dishwasher to refresh them - even wine glasses can sparkle again with a good hot wash - towel dry to avoid spots.

7. For Kids:
An Ikea Expedit shelving unit + baskets are great to create a play area or reading nook for your child. Create a homework hotspot - a place that doesn't need to be disturbed for dinner, and incorporate bins or a calendar for assignments, field tips, conferences, and days off. Check for local activities (festivals, art or craft shows, museum exhibits) to add to the calendar for the family to do together. September is also a great time to think about, plan, or make all those costumes for Halloween.

8. For Family:
September is a great time to start making those calls or emails for planning family get-a-ways, get-together, and guestrooms. Check your kids calendar for upcoming activities. After cleaning out all the closets, organizing your home, redecorating, you'll want to share it with family and friends. If you've used the guest room for staging your garage sale or charity donations, check what needs to be repaired, replaced or refreshed. Many stores of having end of the season sales, which is a great time to stock-up and save on fresh sheets, pillows and towels for your upcoming holiday guests!

Still need a nudge to get you started organizing? 

Check out Martha Stewart's checklist: 100 Reasons To Get Rid Of It

Hope you're excited to get ready for the new Fall season! - I know I already feel relieved having gotten a jump start after the long weekend!

Thanks for stopping by,

 

(All photos in post sourced from the new Martha Stewart site!)

Girl crushing on Lara Spencer - I Brake For Yard Sales + Flea Market Flip @HGTV!

Did you see the HGTV special yesterday?? I had heard about Lara Spencer's book, I Brake For Yard Sales, but loved that HGTV made a special show about it with Lara Spencer. At first, I was puzzled - Why is this news anchor suddenly becoming a designer? But that was before realizing her extensive history in antiquing (she use to host The Antique Roadshow!), thrifting and yard sale-ing. The first time I had seen Lara put spaces together with vintage and thrift was when she helped her friend Kathy Griffin redo her place. 

I Brake for Yard Sales

Lara on the east coast - shopping flea

for friend back on west coast.





I liked the look, and thought it was just a one time deal helping out a friend... but then seeing the spaces she fixed up yesterday - Not just for Sam Champion (LOVED that coffee table find + vintage 40's rug!!) and Robin Roberts (great vintage coffee table find!!), but the amazing home she pulled together for a girlfriend back on the west coast was A-MAZING!!!

Lara Spencer vintage mix makeover for Kathy Griffin.



What an entrance with the graphic lattice wall paper, black trim and gallery display running up the spiral staircase.... than the amazing use of pink + yellow + green + white in the living room.... and the thrifty transformations of sofas, plus the dining room set in an amazing shade of blue.... Girl - the heck with POP news on GMA - this is your calling!!! (Sorry GMA - LOVE your show + staff mix and Lara is a great add - but seriously, she's gotta do more of these REAL LIFE transformations!!)

Lara Spencer at home: check out the video!

I love the look and diggin' the vibe of her Mid-Century LA home... All in vibrant Mid-Century pieces she collected over time...

source





After Lara's special was another great HGTV show hosted by Lara Spencer called  Flea Market Flip. At first for this, I was thinking it was another show showing room transformations using thrift... but actually it was a little more interesting than that: Two teams of two people were given a project list & funds from Lara to to go hunt for at the Rose Bowl Flea Market and transform these finds + resell for a profit! The team with the highest profit won (the profit!) The list of projects was to 1. Find and transform a table & chairs, 2. Find a good bones piece to fix up, 3. Find a piece to reupholster, and lastly 4. Find a piece to upcycle for a new use. Great concept and refreshing show for HGTV! (yay - finally because I'm REAL tired of House Hunters taking up too much air time!) Lara would pop in and give tips, or compare their find price with research she'd do on the piece on her ipad. She shared some of her tips for viewers and was very energetic (as always and probably what I love about her the most - she's REAL!)

Lara featured in Redbook



"It's fun to decorate your home with items that speak to who you are.

The word home is like a big hug." -Lara Spencer

Truest words ever spoken from any design TV personality!

Did you see the shows? What did you think? Hopefully, they will replay again SOON if you missed them!

Thanks for stopping by!



SUMMER GARAGE SALE TIPS

After three days of unloading closets, storage ottomans, and boxes in the garage, I prepped and organized for our Garage Sale we had this past weekend. Friday night, I pre-set tables and priced all the items so we were ready to sell 'literally' as the garage door opened Saturday morning. And no joke - while Jeff was putting up signs outside the community, I had about 6 people already standing inside the garage and buying stuff - at 7:30 in the morning! When Jeff came back, we brought the tables out to the driveway - placing them on an angle facing the traffic coming in. People found the sale through an ad on Craigslist, the extra signs Jeff posted outside the community and tweets that I sent which also posted to facebook! I even gave a house tour to local blogger who stopped by - Yanet of 3 Sun Kissed Boys - and she is coming back later this month to photograph our home. Here's some pics of the event and take away tips from it...

Welcome to our Summer 2011 Garage Sale!

Attaching larger signs to furniture helps to sell it easier - and also show the "markdowns" later. Solid wood chair "was" $10 - Slashed to $8 and SOLD!

Having the tables set on an angle facing traffic made it easier

for them to see - and go pullover to come shop!

A cluster of balloons at the entrance helped attract attention. It was tied to one of those garden banner posts. Jeff used it to make the sign for the water. With a Summer Garage Sale - selling "Ice Cold Water" for .50 is a worth while investment =) As were the balloons - I told the guy - "You buy the clock, I'll give your daughter a free balloon and a bottle of water." SOLD! =) lol

A ladder came in handy to show off color & prints for scarves and belts, set next to a table of price pointed jeans signed for "Back To School". Although all the scarves and belts sold, only 1 pair of jeans did. I don't think it was the prices (only $7 - $5) I think it was the limited sizes (0-3). So I'm taking the denim left overs to a consignment shop.

I used one of the banquet tables to show color and prints for

window panels and shower curtains.

After they'd sell or the table was shopped, I'd recover & regroup.

Opening up packages or folded items to show their prints helped to sell items.

All but two tables runners here sold =).

At first, all artwork was grouped together, but then I started to face them out wherever I could. It helped to sell them. We only had to donate 3 out of 10 - all the rest sold =)

Old friend who saw the tweet posted on facebook about the Garage Sale - so she brought her mom - and they shopped!! So nice to her - This is Cindy. She was actually living with her kids & hubs in Japan at the time of the earthquake. he was stationed there, but now they've moved back to the states! YAY!

Local blogger, Yanet of 3 Sun Kissed Boys stopping by to get her shop on!!

We used a ladder across the street as a sign holder. These were also the same style sign Jeff put up outside the community, but with our address to get here (and I wrote "ALMOST" above everything).

A third set of clouds started to roll in, so we condensed the tables to get ready to pull these items back into the garage for the next day.

I group like items together - even if it was based on a theme.

Here, I was "Selling NY" - and I did sell these plus a i heart NY tee =)

Pricing items and making signs the night before was a huge help!

Higher ticketed items I kept on the workbench back inside the garage. If someone asked (and they did) if I had silver to sell I'd pull this out. Since it didn't sell at the GS, I'm taking it to a Consignment Shop.

Same with this evening bag - or could be used as a brides purse - Taking it to consignment.

It's nice to donate, but not everything needs to be.

After the 1/2 Day Sale on Sunday, we loaded up the truck to take donations up to Ft. Lauderdale's Out Of The Closet Thrift Shop. Proceeds from their sales go towards the AIDS Foundation. Then we came home, to sort and roll coins. I sorted, Jeff rolled... and decided how we'd divide the money made. Since my phone is on its last legs (first HTC Droid from 2 yrs ago) and it has become my lifeline - some funds have been allocated for an upgrade - which is great timing because the contract with Verizon ends August 17. The rest is going to pay bills. Jeff also sold a gold bracelet to a dealer who passed by and he got $120 for it (I think he should have gotten more but...) So together we made nearly $600. Not too shabby and a huge help right about now, plus I was able to reorganize closets and the garage - I'll share shortly.

All those coins can really add up!

So if you're thinking about cleaning out your closets or garage, also think of having a garage sale! You can use those funds for the things you need - like Back To School shopping or supplies, or maybe there is something you'd like to do around the house, like makeover a spare room into a craft space or office. It's a great way to (profitably) get rid of the things you don't use - and donate the rest!

When I first started blogging (back in November 2009) we had our first garage sale - you can read more tips here: Merchandising A Garage Sale to SELL!

Thanks for stopping by!