15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finders Keepers, June 4, 2007
This review is from: Garage Sale America (Paperback)
I have a chronic case of disposophobia, or at least that's how Bruce Littlefield would diagnose it. I can't bear to part with old photographs, worn-out running shoes, and a frog collection I've had since college. My favorite store is Finders Keepers, or was, that is, until the local antique shop closed and I bought out half the inventory.
So when my copy of Littlefield's Garage Sale America arrived in the mail, you can imagine where I put it--on top of a great big stack of books I have yet to read, some old, some new.
It wasn't long before its cover cried out to me with its retro colors, Bakelite radio, and funky leopard hat.
I scoured the photo-filled paperback for advice on everything from enamel-top tables to fishing lures and reeled in a lot more information than I bargained for, like tips on decorating, where to find some really hot wheels, and how to run a successful sale. I'm even learning to deal with my affliction, described in the book's glossary as "Disposophobia: the fear of getting rid of stuff, no matter how worthless or how valuable."
Some books may come and go, but Garage Sale America is definitely a keeper.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful!, May 29, 2007
This review is from: Garage Sale America (Paperback)
I enjoyed Bruce's book much more than I expected to.The stories and backgrounds made me feel like I was along for the ride. The photos are awesome and I could hardly sit still thinking about all the treasures I might be missing while I sat reading in my rocking chair about the treasures Bruce and his friend discovered.
If you are a garage sale fanatic, a fan of The Antique Road Show, or just a 'people person' you will enjoy this book. I plan to buy copies for friends and family as Christmas presents. What a treat it would be to read this book while curled up in front of a nice warm fire this winter. Letting your mind wander to the treasures that are just waiting to be discovered when Garage Sale season starts again in the spring.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'The Thrill of the Deal', June 4, 2007
This review is from: Garage Sale America (Paperback)
In Hawaii, HANA HOU is an expression you will hear often....it means, once more, do it again, encore, repeat, one more time...... and so it is with items found in garage sales, yard sales, church bazaars, tag sales, estate sales.....any kind of hana hou sale..... Just because someone is finished with that rocker, it doesn't mean that its life has to end right then.... There can still be one more round left to that old rocking chair!
What your neighbor down the street considers trash can definitely be your treasure....and that is the message that Bruce Littlefield conveys in his newly published book, "Garage Sale America".
From tips scattered throughout the book on how to plan your strategies for your hunt to how to use the treasures after you get them home, and ending with a useful (and amusing) Garage Sale Glossary, this little book can serve as a handy and entertaining manual on how to unashamedly romp through the detritus of other people's lives and score while you're at it!
The perfect gift for those who love to hunt for treasures, whether they are the type who grab the newspaper every single weekend and mark all the sales down, planning their trips by neighborhood....or the occasional shopper who stops on a whim every time they see a "Yard Sale" sign along the road....or the ones such as myself who mark the annual church bazaars down on my calendar....for all of us to whom the thrill is as much in the hunt as in finding that special deal!
There is no stigma attached to finding a bargain in someone else's discards....in fact, the feeling of satisfaction, the ... elation, if you will, when you find just the right item or that last piece of china that will complete the set you started years ago, is hard to describe.
After spending one evening reading this fun and enjoyable book, I started looking around my own home to see what around me could be considered 'found treasures'....and have to admit that a bit less than half was either bought at yard, garage, church bazaar sales or, the best yet, items found through our local Freecycle network or even at the "transfer station" - the PC name for our local dump, ......completely free!
If you love to go yard saling,....if you love to find a bargain,.... if you're looking for the thrill of the deal... you will definitely enjoy reading Bruce's book.
A couple of personal notes: I loved the idea of the seller who invites his best customers (read: bigger spenders), to breakfast before his sales every year for, as Bruce puts it "cranking up the adrenalin while you wait for the unveiling".....and don't miss meeting Wini. I won't tell you where to find her. You will have to hunt through the book yourself!
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