Good signs, free beer and roller girls 8/2/08

Brooks Ave. – Candler Park “Estate Sale”


This should have been called a moving sale, but like a true estate sale the seller did let you inside part of the house. I had a difficult time appraising this event. The four rooms that were open were crowded but there was not much there that mattered other than some interesting artwork crammed into corners and leaning against walls. Among the visions captured on medium sized canvases were a lighthouse scene, an unfinished looking painting of an old mill arced by a rainbow, a sunrise (or sunset) scene and a well-executed expressionistic looking painting of a man and a woman. I was very taken with the lighthouse scene since it was displayed next to a monkey’s head carved from a coconut. Other stuff around the house included kitchen appliances, barware, some bedclothes and a soap dispenser in the shape of an old woman holding a coffee cup.
I bought nothing.

Lighthouse with carved coconut.


















Euclid Terrace – Candler Park “Yard Sale”


This sale has the best sign in Atlanta. They have been using it for three years. The seller’s child painted it and I purchased a similar sign for my exhibition at the Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center two years ago. I now have no idea where that sign is today. I have considered buying the sign they were using today or just appropriating for using as a lead graphic for this site. While the sign is wonderful this current sale while interesting was not as good as the prior sale I visited over a year ago. Much of the assembled clutter was toys. They ranged from a box of Bionicles to a large plastic geodesic ball made from expandable plastic tubes. Other stuff there included a candle in the shape of a dragon, a table full of cheap sunglasses, a globe, a point and shoot camera, a large unopened bag of Twistlers, a bubble blowing plastic Santa, a pillow shaped like a box of Froot Loops and a cassette tape set of Homer’s Odyssey. In addition to the aforementioned sign there was also an intriguing painting of a woman in a head wrap and a breaded man done in intense shades of blue.
The seller had also set up one of the most charming cookie sale tables with homemade cookies in a fancy footed cake dish and a toy cash register on the table. I attempted to help the seller move the table out of the sun but made to tragic mistake of telling her daughter to hold the footed cake dish. The child then dropped the dish and the cookies while I helped move the table, spilling the cookie onto the pavement.
I apologized profusely and vowed to only document sales not to assist with them.



Candy among the clutter.















Elegant cookie stand before my interloping.


















Wonderful sign.
















My proposed adaptation of wonderful sign.

















Oakdale Ave. - Candler Park “Yard Sale”


This sale was in the front yard of a wooden bungalow with an Obama sign. Obama signs are very common in Candler Park. I have yet to see a single McCain sign in the neighborhood. Spread out in the front yard was a moderate selection of clutter. Larger items included a plush Panda and a plush Pokeman character (Pikachu perhaps, my knowledge of this genre has waned) Other stuff included a globe, some plastic bowling pins a wooden cat mask, the Anti-Monopoly game, a selection of glassware, an old Royal typewriter and a fire escape ladder. Among some books I found “The Race Myth”, “Fast Food Nation”, “Rereading America”, “What’s the Matter with Kansas” and “A La Ruse - A Cookbook of Russian Hospitality”. In box marked free was a basket; a plastic jar shaped like a bear, a cookie tin and some plastic bags.
I bought the copy of the Myth of Race for fifty cents.



Royal typewriter with safety ladder.



















One of today's many boxes of free stuff.


















Gresham Ave. – East Atlanta “Yard Sale”


This was a small sale in front of a nicely kept brick bungalow. When I approached the house a small dog with a red Mohawk haircut greeted me. Among the notable items in the yard were a unopened container of a Shania Twain brand perfume, a cookie jar in the shape of a pineapple, some plates with an Hawaiian motif, a microwave oven, some clothing and a big CRT monitor.
I bought nothing and had a difficult time getting the dog to pose.







Glenwood Ave.- East Atlanta – “Roller Girls Fund Raiser”


One of the earmarks of a truly cosmopolitan city is having an all female roller derby team. Atlanta Roller Girls are a struggling team (thus the yard sale) that recently moved their competition from the hinterlands of DeKalb to the Shrine Temple on Ponce De Leon. Here in an abandoned service station the roller derby queens had set up an array of somewhat wild clothing, old computer gear, exercise equipment, a collection of Zippo lighters, some house wares, books and videotapes. In the rack of clothing were, long gowns, day-glo wigs; faux leopard skin shoes a few vinyl items and some very normal stuff one could wear to church or school. On the ground were several boxes of mostly black t-shirts. The selection of books belied the owners rough façade a in a box I found “From Playing Field to Battleground”, “A Fall Together”, “Where the Air is Clear”, “The Instant Chef”, “The Origami Handbook” and “The Total Quality Handbook”.
Another box of VHS tapes revealed a darker side. In it were copies of “Drunks”, “Whipped”, “Anger Management”, ”The Trans Alaska Pipeline”, “The Good Girl” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. One table contained a collection of very well dressed dolls looking far more American Girl than American Grrrl. And yes there was a pair of inline skates for sale.
I bought a coke.



Used roller girl clothing.
















Girl not grrrl dolls.























Cummings St. - Reynoldstown “Yard Sale”


The bright pink signs for this sale said “Make your yard sale dreams come true”. For me that dream would be a literary agent waiting in the driveway with a book deal for me. But sadly the sign did not live up to its promise. There was not a lot here when I arrived at this somewhat oversized infill home in the heart of Reynoldstown. In the driveway and garage were two liquor carousels in their original boxes several marketing textbooks, several UGA promotional items, a few purses and some popular movies on DVD. The most obscure thing here was a four-panel canvas print of an anguished looking persons. The seller said they found it behind a counter when they moved in; they had no idea whose face was on it.
I bought nothing.





His and hers liquor carousels.
















Quad image of unknown origin.



















Holtzclaw St. - Reynoldstown “Yard Sale”

This sale was in the parking lot of a warehouse artists studio/loft complex. The scene had a nice decrepit urban feel to it with partially disassembled cars, large pieces of metal and broken asphalt. Here I found clothing, original artwork, a wooden elephant, some old sheet music and a keg of free beer. The beer was left over from a party the night before. I had a short glass since it was still morning.









Selection of art among old vehicles.
















My artistic rendering of artists' clothing for sale.

















Pickett St. - Cabbagetown “The Best Yard Sale Ever”

Claiming to be “the best yard sale ever” indicated that the seller had a lot of bravado. But there was not a lot here on the porch of a typical narrow Cabbagetown home. I think the seller may have been at the artist studio party the night before because a car full of clutter arrived while I was there at the late hour of 11AM. On the porch I found an electric guitar, a pair of pistols that shot plastic pellets, a dog without a Mohawk (not for sale), Grateful Dead CDs, an overflowing ashtray, a plaster cobra marked not for sale and a crossbow sitting atop some books. The books included “The Vice Guide to Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll”, “A thousand Splendid Souls”, “A Confederacy of Dunces” and “Weirdos from Another Planet”.
I bought nothing.




Grateful Dead and dirty ashtray.



















Another dog, but no mohawk.




















Plastic firearms.


















Crossbow and reading matter.



















Morgan St. “Old 4th Ward “Yard Sale”

I saw a large sign for this sale the previous night while driving down North Ave. The sale was not as big as the sign suggested. When I arrived the sun was high in the sky and the day was now quite hot. The sellers sat in the shade of the porch looking over a moderate amount of clutter in their yard. Here I found prom dresses, ice trays, tennis racquets, two small TVs, a boom box, a ceramic stagecoach, a candle shaped like a cocktail dress and a large pink plush monkey. Among some books were “Everything’s an Argument”, “Love and Respect”, “Love and Respect Workbook”, “Addicted to Love” and “Introduction to Analysis”.
In a box marked free was some faux ivy, a few note cards, some file folders and a bottle of shampoo. In the cool of the porch was a box filled with fresh vegetable from a local farm. The box held plump tomatoes, and several varieties of peppers.
I bought some jalapeño peppers and three tomatoes.



Fresh produce on the porch