Ever since moving downtown, I have wondered about the City-Wide Garage Sale. How big is it? Who sells there? Is it all junk? Should I have sold my stuff there instead of holding a downsizing yard sale? So on Sunday afternoon, I decided to satisfy my curiosity and check out “Austin’s Favorite Vintage Flea Market.”

Long Live The Duke.

Although I paid my $6 admission as posted, the attendant handed me back one dollar without explanation. This led to more unanswered questions. Was there a discount on Sunday afternoon? Was she not paying attention? Did she feel sorry for a sweaty person who had obviously walked there?

Fake cactus are perfect for Austin summers.

The exhibit hall of the Palmer Events Center was filled with rows and rows of vendors. A few booths had random mixtures of junky yard-sale stuff, but most seemed to specialize in better quality items like glassware, linens, furniture, collectibles, and jewelry. Vinyl records and baseball cards were very popular.

Cowboy boots apparently have a good ROI.

I had read somewhere that the vendors are more likely to negotiate on Sunday afternoon, so that they don’t have to drag stuff home. This may be true. I admired a bright orange ceramic teapot and was worried that the vendor would pay me to take it. Since Bill and I downsized, I tend to be overly-cautious about “accumulation creep.” The teapot didn’t make the cut.

Are crochet doilies taking over the world?

I learned that this was the third of eight City-Wide Garage Sales that are scheduled for 2014. All are at the Palmer Events Center. A return visit is probably not in my future, but this is definitely a good  air-conditioned option for yard-sale fanatics.

Antlers can solve a variety of decorating dilemmas.

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