Saturday 7/21/07

After returning from Nashville to take down my exhibition Cindy and I took a brief vacation in south Florida. While walking on the white sand beaches yard sales seemed miles removed from the cool turquoise water of the Atlantic. But by the weekend I was back on the streets of Atlanta seeing what was offered in my neighbor’s yards. I found that yard sales had for the most part taken a vacation as well.

Page Ave. – Candler Park “Bathroom remodeling Sale”

The signs directed me to the back yard of this brick Tudor home where I found two women hovering over a disassembled bathroom counter top and a big Jacuzzi tub. I didn’t even bother to wander over to get a good look at the hardware as I was in no mood to remodel my bathroom. As I was heading back to my car I noticed there were a few items gathered for sale on the front stoop. Setting there unattended were a toilet brush, some kitchen utensils, some plastic shelving and a pair of flip-flops.
I bought nothing.

Hooper Ave. – Candler Park “Yard Sales”

Hooper is a dead end street that is now filled with new infill housing. While there were five sales on this street none were remarkable in any way. I do have some bias against infill housing yard sales but these were even below my expectations. Everything was new and unmemorable from the prints of jungle animals to the women’s clothing and the microwave ovens. I could not even find a single noticeable item to photograph. Quantity trumped quality.
I bought nothing.


Oakdale Ave. Candler Park “Yard Sale!”

A single chair that held a few items of women’s clothing was next to a small table with a purse upon it. This was all there was to this sale. A sign placed the chair read “I’m moving so everything must go”. There was no one attending the goods but this sale was much more interesting to me than all the sales on Hooper Ave.
I took nothing but a photograph.






Dekalb Ave. Candler Park “Community Yard Sale”

I had a difficult time parking in the small lot of this relatively new development along Dekalb Ave. A few minutes after I squeezed in two women in a van arrived and made it impossible for me to make an exit. Blocked in I took my time examining the assembled goods laid out in the parking lot. Among the stuff I encountered were parts of a pirate costume, a nurses costume still in it’s original bag, several wigs, a plush rabbit, a Dali-esque looking clock, old ladies hats wrapped in clear plastic, the usual selection of small picture frames and a box of mostly rock and dance Cds. Among some books I found “The Dinosaur Club”, “Out of Eden”, “When Anger Hurts”, “Naked Pictures of Famous People”, “Marriage and Families”, “Feuds About Families”, “Many Lives, Many Masters” and “Sudden Fury”. Sitting on the pavement were about a half dozen canvases painted in simple shades of blue, white and red. The women finally moved their van and I left buying nothing.

A selection of pirate goods on Dekalb Ave.













Melting Clock














Minimalist artwork in Candler Park.














Sterling St. – Candler Park “Yard Sale Give Away”

I don’t know if this ever was a real yard sale but when I arrived at the pile of stuff on the grass in front of an apartment building two Hispanic men were rooting through the assembled clutter. One of them nervously asked me if it was really all for free and I told him that it was as indicated on the sign the said “take what you need”. Above the sign resting on a tree trunk as a strange looking doll with deep blue eyes. Next to the same sign on the ground was a strange painting showing two bonneted girls being attacked by an alligator. Other things offered at no cost included some giftwrap, plastic food containers, curtain rods and tennis rackets.
I took some off the giftwrap to use for decorating my school library.


Doll in tree at give away sale.














Alligator attack captured on canvas.
















McLendon Ave. Lake Claire “Yard Sale”

This was a larger sale held on the yard of a rented duplex bungalow next to the Yoga studio. Here two women looked over a collection of clothing, travel accessories, books and various small items spread out on the yard. Hanging on the porch wall was a poster of popular cocktails, a poster of James Dean and a fabric print with Shakespeare’s image. Among some books I found “Idiot’s Guide to Acupuncture and Acupressure”, “Get Lost, The Cool Guide to Amsterdam”, “Lonely Planet Cambodia”, “For The New Intellectual”, “Writing About Art” and “Memoirs of a Geisha”.
Among the clothing were shoes, tops and thongs. Other stuff included a pair of swim fins, a backstage pass to a Metallica concert, a button that said “I made it” and a boxed copy of Photoshop. While I was there a fluffy long haired cat wandered amid the clutter.
I bought nothing.


Images hung on a porch wall.















Feline wandering among the clutter.