In our city the Ronald McDonald Charities holds a five-day household sale in an empty warehouse twice a year. People in the community bring in donated items, and then RMD sells them. The profits go to the Ronald McDonald Houses in our area.
If you donate items, you get a special ticket to get in on the first day. The donor day. Only donors can get in on day one. And you better believe I'm a donor. I filled my car to bursting this spring, donated all of it, and got my "golden" ticket. (Insert horrific memories of Charlie singing about his golden ticket, here.)
This sale is epic. EPIC, I tell you. Every. Single. Time. The sheer size of it is befuddling, and add to that the insanely low prices, and the fact that it's for charity, and, well, like I said, EPIC.
I generally go to the sale with about ten people. We all take at least a half day off of work for this sale. Nobody has ever complained that it wasn't worth it. Usually we get in line about an hour early. This time, the line to get in was longer than I've ever seen it. The line is outdoors and the sales take place in May and October. The weather in these parts is iffy at best. So, we wait in the elements for an hour for the privilege of entering this sale on the first day.
To celebrate this event, which we all love so much, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to tailgate. In line. Everyone brought snacks and drinks and we had a merry old hour. There was a cheese plate, cocktails, and special cucumber sandwiches to die for!
When the enormous line started moving we stashed our treats in our cars, hit the potties, and were ready to roll. This sale is a delight from start to finish. The people who run it have their shit together, and are insanely efficient. The line moves fast. Inside everything is organized really well. There are RMD volunteers at every turn. If you have a question, you don't need to search for hours to find someone to help you.
It can be an overwhelming experience, for sure. Especially for someone who doesn't often yard sale/estate sale/thrift shop. But for us seasoned professionals, this is our element. Our time to shine.
The first thing you see when entering the doors is the holiday section. And if you know anything about me and my friends, you know that we love a holiday. And we love to decorate for holidays. So you can bet I fly into that holiday section like a bat out of Christmas town. Swooping, scooping, throwing elbows, getting the job done like the professional I am.
I'm already starting to get worried about the amount of tins I've ammased. Where am I going to put them all? That's a problem for another day. Right now we are celebrating the fact that I got these two matching, non-vintage, candy tins! ($2 together) The pine branch fabric is a tablecloth. ($4.50) There were two really great vintage Christmas table cloths and Heather and I each bought one. The wax tree is not a candle. ($2.50) It's a vintage Wizard decorative air freshener and it's NOT TO BE EATEN.
I'm glad to see this warning, honestly. I've wanted to eat these things my whole life. My grandmother had some and they just look like delicious and adorable colored chocolate candy. But they aren't delicious. Trust me on that.
I swooped some Christmas odds and ends. A Christmas corsage ($2), teeny Hallmark snow woman candles ($1 for the pair), a blown glass bell ornament with tiny, fragile, clacker ($2), and a large-ish bass drum drummer what has a drum for a body ($4). The 60s was a tripy decade, ok?
I'm so very excited about scoring the 1986 Hallmark plate of cookies for Santa ornament! How freaking adorable is it? Plus, the plate looks like jadeite! Come on! ($2.50) The mouse in the tennis ball container is also Hallmark ($3) and the flocked mouse with wreath is just too cute (50 cents). The Hershey's ornament doesn't hang right. It's very side-heavy. Pretty annoying. I'll just have to display it on a flat surface I guess. ($3)
This is the last thing I picked up in the holiday section. This thing is HUGE. Probably the size of an actual potted poinsettia. And it's in great condition. It only needed a tiny bit of hot glue on the spine. $1.50
After holiday I generally go to the toy section. I didn't find anything Muppets this time! Not ONE thing! Blasphemy! I think this is actually the first time that I didn't walk away with something Muppets. And I've been going to this shindig twice a year for a long, long time.
Once I've riffled through the toy section I head over to jewelry. The pickings are usually pretty fantastic if you are into big, obnoxious earrings. I bought all of these beauties for $9 total. Check out the amazing and gigantic lucite circles with red and silver tinsel encased inside! Swoon! Those suckers are going to look amazeballs at a Christmas party lemme tell ya.
After I've bought up all of the earrings that nobody else would have touched with a ten foot pole, I wander over to brick-a-brack. This year I could not find brick-a-brack! I always score big in this catch-all, what-the-freak-even-is-this-I-guess-we'll-just-stick-it-in-brick-a-brack section! I need the brick! I want the brack! I pulled a volunteer aside and she confirmed my fears. The section had been abandoned and scattered to the wind. Bummer.
There was a newly formed stationary and party supply section, however. I got a large bag full of gorgeous (non-vintage) paper lanterns for $2. I don't need them to be vintage. I just love paper lanterns.
I also found a small Wolverine shopping bag for 50 cents in the stationary section. Odd, but I'll take it! I'll go shopping with that hot piece of regenerating, cigar chomping, anger any time, bub.
I sort of round out the sale by checking out linens, which is always mobbed and I never find anything at anyway, and the little bathroom section, which contains vintage Avon bottles ( I found the ice cream cone for $1!!), and the outdoor section that has planters (shell planter for $2). The little pumpkins are from the holiday area and were 50 cents for the pair.
After we are all done (at least three solid hours later) we all gather at a nearby pub and scarf down a meal while rehashing our triumphs.
Last week there was also a church sale that I go to each year. Always the same week as the spring RMD sale. Blessed Sacrament. I swear, Catholic church names kill me.
I scored a J Crew wool plaid clutch for $2, a box of mercury glass ornament picks for 75 cents, a tiny weighted duck for a quarter and a pair of sweet vintage holly earrings for $1.50.
I also spotted this wardrobe. For $50. And let me tell you, I would have snatched it right up if I had a place for it at my house. It was gorgeous inside and out! Just ridiculous. Broke my heart a little bit to leave it there.
Until next time, happy hunting!
