By Richard Mundy
For Hometown News
In the regions of the country that have real seasons, the first day of fall usually marks the beginning of the end of yard sales, but not in Ormond Beach. All it takes is a glance at the number of listings on websites and circulars to see they are still alive and well and show no signs of slowing down.
The listings also show the majority of yard/garage sales take place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Using my handy GPS and a listing of Ormond Beach sales, I found a wide variety of items being sold from sporting equipment to clothing, and from electronics and tools to refinished furniture and books.
Most sales start at 8 a.m. and being an "early bird" is strongly discouraged. There is also a wide variety of yard-sale experience among sellers. Bonnie Sosebee of Ormond Beach said it was her fourth or fifth sale, but she hasn't had one for about three years.
"There comes a time in your life when you need to start getting rid of things," Ms. Sosebee said.
For the items that do not sell, she said she "will probably donate them to hospice."
Her most interesting item was an Indiana Jones "kit" she won as a second chance drawing in the Florida Lottery. It consisted of a leather jacket and satchel, Jones's signature fedora hat and other items.
As the sales are open over a three-day period, each day has their own type of buyer. On Friday the buyer is looking to buy items for themselves from the greatest choice of items. Saturday's buyers tend to negotiate more and some are looking for items to re-sell on eBay or at their own yard sale. And Sunday's buyers, knowing this is the last day, are aware any items left over tend to be heavily discounted.
When asked why they were holding a yard sale, most answered that it was a good way to raise some money as well as help get rid of things they didn't need anymore. Debbie Ryan of Ormond Beach, a real pro of yard sales, said she "will probably do one or two a year." She also re-purposes and refinishes furniture that she has bought at other yard sales. She added that she "had a huge armoire that I sold," and some of her items were $100 and up and were selling.
The most unusual item Ms. Ryan had sold was a "two-headed putter," which could be used by a right-handed golfer as well as a lefty. For the items that don't sell, she said they "will go to either Goodwill or Salvation Army; those are my two favorite charities I go to."
For Ormond Beach resident Paul Cunningham, this is his first yard sale. He specializes in tools, sporting goods and china. For his best sellers of the day, he said, "Actually what has sold the best today were my silver coins."
He began his sale at 9 a.m. And what doesn't sell, "A lot of it we'll donate to Goodwill and Salvation Army."
The primary principle of the yard sale is confirmed in the old axiom that one person's trash is another person's treasure. I witnessed a lot of "trash" become "treasure" today.