Saturday, May 5, 2007

West Plano yard sale report: detour to Richardson

By Claire Hoffman

Japanese tea set would make a perfect gift. Assuming the recipient likes tea.

RICHARDSON — Mission: Shop around for a rug.

When I got up, it was gray out and there were pin-prick drops of rain -- not enough to get anything wet but just enough that I figured it would make people think twice about having a yard sale. I went back and forth for a while between going out and staying in.

The only thing I was looking for was a rug for my sister. Her cat is a finicky eater and vomits on the carpet next to the kitchen. She’s had it cleaned a few times. I suggested she put something on top of it, so I was going to keep an eye out for that.

Since it never broke into a rain, I decided to go out and try a new neighborhood. I figured if the yard sales weren’t happening, at least I’d see another part of town.

I found two fairly close to each other in Richardson. It was about noon by the time I got to the first one. But there was no sign of a yard sale at all. I couldn't tell if they never bothered to set up, or if it had done so well that they had already closed shop.

It was a nice area, by a golf course, with some almost-hills. The homes looked older and more reasonable than the big overbuilt houses in Plano.

Props to Chad for ID'ing this as Monsters, Inc.'s "Sulley."

The other sale was still going, and it was neat. It was a sale to benefit breast cancer and there were quite a few people working at it. They were all friendly and relaxed. One of them apologized because she was eating a sandwich, but I thought it was cool they were all so laid back.

They had decent stuff, too – not junk. It was collected from a few different people, and you could tell where one person’s stuff ended and another began. One of the sellers was tiny; there were a bunch of size-small shirts from the Limited and the Gap, and a collection of shoes all size 5½. Right next to it was a rack of men’s clothes, and then a rack of novelty items – a couple of gowns and a furry costume from Disney's Monsters, Inc.

The housewares were hit-and-miss. They had a pretty Japanese tea set that made me wish I knew someone who drank tea. It was a rust-brown with white sprigs and, other than some wear on the pot, in great condition. It’s one of those things that would make a good gift, although I’d buy another pot to go with it.

Hope it works, like they said.

The only rug they had was a disgusting orange-gold-and-brown shag. It looked like it came from the 70s, literally. It wasn’t particularly clean. I couldn’t imagine anyone buying it.

It seemed like the trip was going to be a bust, but then I spotted a phone. My sister collects old phones and this one had big buttons and a translucent purple plastic case, which I knew she would like. They said it was functional and they only wanted $2 for it.

Today's take: Old phone.

Total: $2.

This story was submitted by a member of the Pegasus News community.

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• Antiques and Collectibles

Comments

twisteddog Anonymous

I always enjoy Claire's columns. She tells good stories. But who the hell would want a purple phone?

1 year, 3 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )