Shop Till You...Run Out of Gas?

Remember the innocent days when yard sales fit on a square of lawn or the tight space between the parked car and the garbage pail? Or maybe, if the neighbors were feeling neighborly, the block would pitch in and display their personal, embarassing effects from corner to corner. Oh, those golden moments of yard sale bliss.

Now you need vacation time and $100 in gas just to shop for other people's throwaways.

First, there was the World's Longest Yard Sale, now celebrating its 20th year of junk-in-the-trunk. For that event, sellers set up shop (aka folding tables and jerryrigged boxes) along Route 127, from Ohio to Alabama and all states in between. (The event is held Aug. 2-5.) More recently, I received a call from coordinator Patricia McDaniel, who informed (or tempted?) me about another Ridiculously Long Yard Sale: from Baltimore to St. Louis--and back, if you, say, regretted not buying that unicorn lamp with glowing horn in Indiana. That's 825 miles and seven states of spending cash on items you most likely will resell at next year's event.

The fourth annual Historic National Road Yard Sale runs from May 30 to June 3 along U.S. Route 40. So what should you look for as you slow to a drive-by shopping crawl? Antiques, glassware, furniture, produce and other bric-a-brac. In addition, if you are passing through the towns of your relatives, check for last year's Christmas gifts. Though Aunt Edna swore she loved the antler hat rack, you may now know the truth.

By Andrea Sachs |  May 29, 2007; 1:00 PM ET  | Category:  Andrea Sachs , Shop Ops
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