Saturday 8/9/08

Maxwell Ave. – Oakhurst “Friggin’ Big Garage Sale”


A small sign on a utility pole outside this small home in Oakhurst said ‘Frigging Big Garage Sale’ while a sign sitting sideways next to the home’s mailbox read “Estate Sale”. When I arrived inside and spoke to the seller she told me it was a moving sale. She had listed this event on Atlanta’s Artnews listserv and there she mentioned that she hoped I would arrive with camera in hand. So I knew I was obligated to document this sale regardless of what manner of sale it was.
The small home was emptied of a lot of its contents upon my arrival shortly after 9 AM. When she saw me with camera in hand she told me that she still had the bee smoker she mentioned in the listserv post. The smoker aside from its unique use was not much to look at or photograph sitting atop the refrigerator. I don’t know if the seller, a local artist, kept bees or just like to blow smoke around. Going from room to and taking my time capturing images (something that seldom happens on inside the home sales) I looked for the visually remarkable among the seller’s belongings. In the entry I found old china and an even older clarinet.
On the floor of the living room under a Chinese parasol was a collection of books and videotapes. Among them were a variety of macramé arts books (sadly there was no evidence of any macramé creations in the home). Other books included “Sharpshooter Blues”, “A Sport and a Pastime”, “The Trial of Elizabeth Cree” “Oracle Night” and A guide to making margaritas. Also in the pile was an audio book of “Under the Tuscan Sun” a copy of “The Queen” on DVD and a reproduction of an antique print showing the city of St. Augustine.

In the back of the home I found a pile of purses, totes and satchels strewn across the floor, women’s shoes lining a few walls and some boxes of fabric and clothing. In the kitchen I found the usual assortment of nonmatching glassware that I seem to constantly encounter in sales like this. But I did have an enjoyable time trying to capture the essence of this sale as the early morning August sun crept thought window shades and blinds. As I was finishing my image capturing I did notice at strange pillow like object atop one cabinet. The seller told me it was a soft sculpture version of a noted Branchusi sculpture.
I bought nothing.



Early morning light in the kitchen.
















Soft version of noted sculpture.



















Wall of an artist's home.
















Shoes in a near empty bedroom.

















After this sale there was really not much of note in the way of sales in my end of Atlanta but I did make a few stops at the following sites.










Adams St. Oakhurst “Yard Sale”


This sale featured a moderate amount of clutter gathered on the driveway and porch of a brick bungalow. Here I found a large plastic Sponge Bob figure, two abstract artworks that appeared to be variation on the Prince icon, a series of blue plastic bins filled with mismatched electronic cables, odd computer accessories and trade show freebies. There was also a lot of women and children’s clothing lining the driveway.
I bought nothing.
I then returned home but later went out with Cindy to visit some sales while running errands.







Art found in Oakhurst.




















Highland Ave. Virginia Highland “Yard Sale”


This sale on a busy corner was nearly played out by the time we got there. My documentation went askew when the seller said that my camera caused a dog that a woman was walking through the clutter to jump nervously. Before I left I did notice a box containing two rubber chickens and a case of manicure cosmetics.
We bought nothing.











Morningside Dr. Morningside “Yard Sale”


This sale was also very depleted when we arrived. Mostly what was left was a lot of oversized plastic children’s toys and a foosball table without the legs attached. One of the more notable toys was a pair of long plastic arms. There was a large free pile containing small toys, ribbons and a variety of plastic kitchen items.










Arms in the lawn.
















Colquitt Ave. Inman Park “Yard Sale”

This sale at least had some charm and a lot of stuff left. Here we found an old globe, boxes of party noisemakers, a pagoda made of cardboard, a half used bottle of baby lotion, many pairs of shoes and a copy of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory game.
We bought nothing.










Paper pagoda in Inman Park.