Happy Holidays

If yard sales are not happening around me where are they happening? On Boxing Day I perused Craigslist both locally and internationally to see what yard sale were posted or being held on Christmas or Christmas Eve. I found it pathetic in some way that people were posting sales for old clutter on Christmas day instead singing carols, eating too much or getting intoxicated. A few things I found disturbing were the person in snowbound Fargo who posted a garbage can for sale on Christmas Day. Further north an individual in Anchorage posted a room air conditioner on Craigslist something that I really doubt is in demand in our 49th state this time of year. Also in Alaska I found someone selling clothing on Xmas day in of all places Wasilla, but they did not appear to be clothing used in a recent run for vice president.








In Los Angeles one person was getting rid of a very basic looking room divider perhaps with the hope someone needed a very boring last minute gift.





















In the Washington DC listings I found a massive brass hookah for sale by a man claiming he was suddenly leaving the US. In addition to the seller also had a large brass camel. Perhaps this was an early visitation of the magi. Locally the most interesting Christmas post was a gentleman selling a new Kirby vacuum with all the accessories. Everyone knows all Kirbys eventually end up on the street.



















As In years past I have shown some of the locals yard of Xmas. On McLendon the large effigy of Obama was topped with a Santa hat for the season. I hope the massive display stays up and changes with the season as hearts, shamrocks and bunnies find a way onto the image of our new iconic chief executive.
While wondering the streets of Candler Park the other day I did notice how disturbing those framework holiday figures look when they are not lit up during the day. The reindeer and snow men are eerily reminiscent of circa 1989 non- fully render computer graphics.








I escaped from Tron to wish you a happy holiday.



















Nothing says the holiday is over better than a deflated santa lying face down in the pavement.
















A Happy New Year to all readers of Yard sale Addict.

This is not an orphaned site!

After going more weeks than ever before of not posting, I’m finally getting around to updating this site. I can only blame the weather, the holidays and my self for this long period of inattention.

Sad to say I have not attended any sales worth documenting since November. In this case I blame the dreadful cold, wet and overcast skies that have plagued this city since Thanksgiving. This is not to say there were not any sales, just not any worth mentioning in my small portion of the world. That portion is limited to an enclave of neighborhoods within two miles of my home. The rest of Atlanta appears full of yard sales, as the economic glue of this nation has separated. Criagslist is filled with listing in places outside of I 285 where McMansions face foreclosure and SUV lie abandoned with empty gas tanks along the highways. A few weeks ago a local radio station interviewed me regarding the rise of yard sales in this time of economic demise. I am honored to be considered as an economic pundit, but sadly I’m still not going to these somber events outside my normal range of yard sailing.

In December I was very occupied with Cindy’s graduation and solo exhibition at Sycamore Place Gallery. Her show “Now Explosion” let me relive (at least for one night) the glory of the Celebrity/Nitery Club nights. She received a great story in the Southern Voice (http://www.sovo.com/2008/12-12/arts/feature/9566.cfmand) the opening was a packed event. One of the notable events that evening was the public singing premiere of Kitty Butler a Now Explosion scion.

Mob of art patrons at Now Explosion opening.

















A mortarboard wearing Cindy Zarrilli salutes the future at Sycamore Place Gallery.














Following the opening we spent some holiday time in Tequesta escaping the dark and wet skies of Atlanta

Blue waters and blue skies in South Florida.

The season in decline….

As the leaves have fallen so have any semblance of quality and entertaining yard sales. Today there was next to nothing in my neighborhoods so I had to drive further to get to these few meager offerings.

Virginia Cir. – Virginia Highlands “Yard Sale”

This was the largest yard sale I could find today. It was put on by the residents of two adjoining homes and featured a decent collection of clutter. On one side was a large collection of collectable dolls and toys. A table was stocked with small Madame Alexander figures and some hideous plush toys with horrifying hand painted faces. I will not mention the creators name for fear of bringing on a lawsuit. Other stuff here included a pair of pink glitter children’s disco boots; a Santa figured that played an annoying saxophone, a pillow in the shape of a bunch of asparagus, a VHS tape “The Vita Mix Cookbook” a copy of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and a Ben Hogan biography.
On the other side I found an American flag woven from wicker (these colors don’t run, they splinter) a scuba tank, children’s furniture, several framed prints of grizzly bears, a famed print of some kind of aquatic dinosaur and a boxed set of Inner Child cards.
I bought nothing.

Framed print of aquatic dinosaur.























Horrible plush creatures.


















Highland Ave. – Virginia Highlands “Yard Sale”

The Craigslist ad said a couple was combining their households and getting rid of stuff. Among the stuff they were getting rid of was a vacuum cleaner, a pair of plastic machine guns, a boxed set of wild drinking games, some wine glasses and women’s clothing.
I bought nothing.










Two non-events

I did later visit an estate sale in Virginia Highlands that was disappointing beyond my standards. I might have been wandering thought a realtors showroom house. I'm starting to think I should not go to any estate sales unless obsessive compulsive octogenarians lived and died in the household.

Dreadful estate sale.






















Earlier in the week I relieved the following email message:

“The Yard Sale, examines the adventures of making and viewing art in alternative spaces and for unconventional audiences. As the name suggests, this is a residential address where the performative‘sale/show’ will take place.

Part One is aimed at bringing art to the average shopper. It will invite the viewer to a Saturday morning yard sale, placing the works in an environment different from their typical context, in order to invoke the eye of the ordinary, unbiased consumer. The goal of the show will be to create the illusion of an actual yard sale, complete with random objects typically found at such occasions. The artists will not be in their expected roles, acting instead as observers in order to document the reaction of the unassuming public.

This setting aims to create a dialogue that contains a new set of thoughts and ideas by taking art out of its assumed context and placing it into an environment that is unfamiliar.
Part Two includes a literal and conceptual documentation of the show, that combines the remaining chatchkees from the yard sale with the artworks in order to initiate an engaged dialogue between curator and viewer. The artists will be sharing their observations of the above experience, including consumer reactions to the work and concepts that were presented.”

Sadly I drove by the address for this event three times this morning and it appeared that nothing was happening. I am a major advocate of conceptual art and an even bigger supporter of any project that demonstrates that I am the founder of an entire sub-genre of art. But the only thing that really occurred were few wet signs placed around midtown and this written documentation of the non-event. Which is in it’s self a conceptual work of art.

Sign for conceptual yard sale non-event in Midtown.

More Yard Sale Addict stuff on Facebook

I think I'm spending too much time on social networking. I have established a presence for myself and Yard Sale Addict on Facebook and have been getting good response. This week I created a Facebook gift app "Yard Sale Junk" where users can send each other some of the mindless goods seen on this site. All the images are taken for the vast horde of photographs I have taken at yard sales over the past four years. So if you would like to send a Facebook friend a dirty mattress, ugly furniture, bad paintings or boxes of empty jars search "Yard Sale Junk" in Facebook and load the app. Over 1500 items were sent be users in the first week it was online. Become a user now.

Saturday 11/8/08

Howard Ave. – Lake Claire – “Yard Sale”

This was not a good morning. There was not much happening, it was cold and the glaring sunlight made for lousy photography. Plus I could not find anything really interesting at the sales I visited. This sale was located on the driveway of a modern home built in the past year of so. In fill homes seldom have great sales and this was no exception. Here I found exercise equipment, baskets, luggage, a bike, some audio components, a big framed poster for a popular brand of wine, kitchen stuff and a few boxes of books. Among the books were “Healing Though the Dark Emotions”, “Flawless”, “Journey Through Heartsongs”, “The Way the Crow Flies” and “How to Behave So Your Children Will Too”.
I bought nothing.










Lakeshore Ave. Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

This sale was down a steep driveway on the back deck of a large home overlooking a park. The view was wonderful but the contents were boring. It was almost entirely made up of children’s apparel. I did appreciate the placement of a guitar in a basinet.
I bought nothing.













Oakdale Ave. – Candler Park “Yard Sale”

The harsh sunlight was really bad here. Plus what they were selling was not that good either. I couldn’t fully understand this sale some of the stuff appeared to belong to an older woman but two younger guys who did not appear to be her sons operated the sale. Among the stuff piled on tarps and tables in the front yard were jigsaw puzzles, old computer parts, old screens and windows, disassembled light fixtures, a box of 70’s rock LPs, an old framed Sunbeam bread ad and dressmaking patterns. On the porch was a huge selection of tedious Hollywood movies on VHS tape.
I bought nothing.











McLendon Ave. – Candler Park “Yard Sale”
I had been to several yard sales at this address in the past few years and some of the stuff here was seen and documented previously. There was some new stuff such as the propane gas cylinders, rat traps (the sticky kind) and bingo markers. Among some books I found th two copies each of “Who Moved My Cheese” and “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” The seller told me he got one pair from a former employer and the second from a new employer. Perhaps the distribution of such books is the reason that this country is in its current economic malaise. I found a weed whacker here something I actually needed since my old one burned out. When the seller demonstrated it for me he almost cut off his toes. With this demonstration of power I purchased the weed wacker for five dollars along with a pair of shorts.




Redundant business books .

Some belated Halloween images and more...

I have to admit with the change in weather, going out of town, Halloween and the election I’ve somehow avoided yard sales for a while. So I’ve posted some images from the Little Five Points Halloween parade and some local yard décor. No sales just yards.












Mexican wrestling masks were a big thing this year.
















Someone told me this fellow looks this way most of the time.




















They held workshops in the neighborhood on creating these massive skeleton puppets, there seemed to be dozens of them.


















Sometimes a costume doesn't have to make sense.














One of the best yard displays was on a nearby street in Decatur. Here a horde of dead pirates ruled the landscape. Some finer details included fake crows in a tree, a bar room of the dead and a smoking cannon.















Two ghost pirates in a sinking rowboat.














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Political displays were mixed with the holiday theme in my neighborhood. Here's an Obama symbol carved into a pumpkin. It looked better lit up at night.
















A Massive Obama sign erected on McLendon Ave. Halloween decor can be seen in the background.

Saturday 10/18/08

Oxford Ave. - Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

I should have ventured further this weekend since I needed something for a Halloween costume but I stayed close to home and visited only two nearby sales. This sale in the yard of a large old home near DeKalb Ave. was a grungy delight. In the yard was a mixture of old motorcycles, cycle parts, uninstalled home fixtures, clothing and home décor. Dominating the scene were two motorcycles in questionable condition one with the low selling price of $120.00. The debris of abandoned home projects included a laundry sink, heaters, cabinets, glass and Plexiglas, light fixtures and unassembled plumbing items. Home furnishings featured a lamp with the KISS logo and flames, a large white bed frame that did not match the Kiss lamp, some sheets from the Luv-Motel, the usual assortment of small picture frames, a large print of a human eye and a framed Joy Division poster. To complement the motorcycles clothing included a large box of leather boots as well as some stylish purses, a collection of sunglasses, men’s shirts and pair of well-worn pith helmets. Other stuff included six different guitar effects pedals, a few home audio components, a throw pillow shaped like a rat, two silver skulls and a book on planning weddings on a budget.
I bought nothing.

A pair of silver skulls among the debris.

















Joy Division poster with matching boots.



























Dixie Ave. - Inman Park “Yard Sale”

This was a larger sale put on by several women in front of an apartment building. The presentation was well-arranged and featured a lot women’s clothing. While I examine the material on display a frisky tabby cat wandered about the clutter sometime jumping into boxes other times sitting of clothing. I attempted to photograph the feline but he keep moving away from me. Among the things the cat passed by were a pair of slippers shaped liked dogs, a squat effigy of the Eiffel Tower and a container of pubic hair dye. One place the cat did not go was a box filled with old golf balls, I presume he found these toouncomfortable to lounge upon. Other stuff scattered about the yard included old lamps, a variety of house wares and some tools kits that looked as though they had never been used.
I bought nothing and still have no costume.



Dog faced slippers. I guess I should have bought them for Halloween.

Walking again…10/11/08

With the Candler Park Festival happening this weekend there were a lot of sales close enough to visit on foot.


Arizona Ave.- Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

Here I found two sales in adjacent homes. In front of one home was a sizable collection of garden tools, household fixtures, old baskets, lamps without shades, antique looking dolls, toys and house wares. Three inexplicable items included a sliced section of a log, a banner of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a box full of light up plastic American flags.
The house next door had a lot less stuff with just two sparse tables sitting out on the curb. But in the collection here were two zydeco rub boards neatly arranged on the walkway and a framed photograph of a deer crossing a river.

I bought nothing.



Zydeco rub boards flanking the walkway.






















Connecticut Ave. – Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

Two friends of mine who recently adopted a baby put on this sale. One of them is travels the world as a public health official and has brought back a treasure trove of exotic paraphernalia from his travels. A lot of this was on sale today undoubtedly since children should not be chewing on splintery Congolese carvings. They also were like other couples with babies as they were selling off the initial baby items they acquired. So the sale was a delightful and disturbing blend of exotic and domestic clutter. Among the stuff gathered for divestment was a pair of tabla drums, a menorah carved from a Cyprus knee, a wooden carving of a lion that appeared to have no front legs, a variety of primitive musical instruments and a tiny Central American sculpture of a woman giving birth. The baby stuff was the usual new born to six months stuff that does not need to be described. But more domestic exotic clutter included a drinking vessel in the shape of the Westin Hotel, an ashtray shaped like a Ubangi women’s head and a painting of the cartoon French Skunk Pee Pee le Pew. I do not know if that last item was purchased in Paris.
I bought nothing.






Jungle drums and cypress knee Menorah.

















Central American woman giving birth.


















New York Ave. – Lake Claire “Yard Sale”


I had visited this sale last Sunday and it looked no different today except that it appeared abandoned. No one was in sight when I arrived and no one came out the entire time I was there. There was not a lot to this sale so maybe the sellers just didn’t care. The sale was in a booth in the back yard among the stuff there were some toys, garden tools and clothing. There was a cat sitting on some sale stuff, perhaps the feline was trained to watch the merchandise.
I bought nothing since there was no one around to buy anything from.







Ferguson Ave. Candler Park – “Yard Sale”


This was another small sale. With furniture, Xmas décor and some kitchen stuff. Among the notable items here was a chair almost totally covered in silver duct tape and a framed, spooky and dark portrait of a woman.
I bought nothing.












Face found on Ferguson.
























Glendale Ave. Candler Park “Yard Sale”

This sale was very small; here two young women presided over a meager collection of stuff on a table and on the sidewalk. In a box here was a copy of the Dummies Guide to Bartending a six beer glasses.
I bought nothing.












Hardendorf Ave. – Lake Claire “Yard Sale”


This was a large sale just down the street from my home. My neighbors here have always had a talent for creating good yard art and today that talent spilled over into their display of stuff for sale. On the sidewalk they had unruly and jumbled collection of Xmas and Halloween décor. The clutter was mixed with their edgy Halloween décor that features a large six-foot mummy and a torso with a bloody head mounted on their fence. Their zesty mixture of the gruesome depravity of Halloween with bones and plastic chainsaws fused with tangled colored lights, faux poinsettias and the flotsam of abandoned miniature holiday villages holiday villages was nothing less than outstanding. I am so delighted to have neighbors with such flair.
I bought nothing.


Decrepit head welcoming shoppers.

















Mixing the holidays on Hardendorf.





















Dekalb Ave. – Candler Park “Yard Sale”


When I returned home Cindy told me a local artist had been calling me to please go check out this sale because they had piñatas in the shape of male genitalia. So I got in the car and drove over to find a sale in the same site I had visit three weeks ago with the aforementioned piñatas as well as some of the same stuff I had seen three weeks ago. The sellers were delighted to pose with their paper mache creations as indicated in the following photos. I never did ask why they had these creations that were being sold. They were placed next to some very homey and domestic looking crochet work.
I bought nothing.

The Wonders of Druid Hills Redux - 9/27/08

Druid Hills Community Yard Sale Day

Druid Hills the upscale neighborhood just to my north seems in some ways a far cry from Candler Park and Lake Claire to the south. There one finds Italinate mansions instead of craftsman bungalows, Emory doctors instead of drum beating old bohemians, and far more cosmetic surgery than tattoos. So once again I wondered tree lined avenues with names like Oxford and Lullwater to examined the divested clutter of this exclusive enclave. Here even the lemonade stands are a more distinguished and a plentiful supply of large plastic playthings indicates that the upper classes are repopulating their kind and spoiling their offspring.





The participants in the sales were interesting in their own right at one sale a neighborhood teen purchased an epee, fencing mask and jacket. Then he proceeded to chase another teen with sword in hand from sale to sale. The Other teen in turn purchased a pair of nunchucks and the two then began sparing among the assembled clutter. The hoi poloi from less fortunate sections of Atlanta appeared to be having a pleasant time overfilling their pickups and SUVs with upper class castoffs. Several sales that ended in the early PM just moved their contents to the curb with shoppers digging through the clutter. But not everything met this fate for I did see some of the same items from last year such as a large floral painting that was placed in the exact location of the prior sale. Some of the highlights are depicted in the photos below.




Upscale refreshment stand.
















Vehicle laden with a bounty of goods.





















Shoppers scavenging discarded clutter.





















A pair of Furbies, one of the ugliest and most annoying toys ever created.

















Reading matter of the country club set.



















Local canine assisting with sale.


















A defining image of the Druid Hills community yard sale day.