As I mentioned in yesterday’s post recap of our Longest Yard Sale trip, we shopped our way from Kentucky to Alabama.
Before I left home, I created a list of items I hoped to find and am glad to say that most of the items got checked off my list.
My Shopping list included:
VINTAGE TYPEWRITER–I’ve wanted one of these for a few years. MIRRORS–I found one that I really like. I plan to paint the frame black or white. VINTAGE SCALE–Another item that I have wanted for a while. I seen lots at the markets I attend but most are priced above what I want to pay. The one I found on our trip was $15.00! VINTAGE RUBBER STAMPS–Found a few to add to my rubber stamp collection, now over 1100! VINTAGE JEWELRY–I was looking for jewelry that I could repurpose into the jewelry I make and sell on my Etsy Shop. I found some really cool hardware pieces and some great rhinestone pieces too! VINTAGE LINENS—Didn’t find much that I wanted to buy expect a few vintage hankies! OWLS–I’m on an Owl kick lately but didn’t find anything that floated my boat. LETTERS and TYPOGRAPHY–I purchased some cool metal letters and an ampersand sign–Great buy for $4.00! CLOCKS–Funny but I didn’t see much in this category.
And, here are photos of a few items I purchased…
Love this vintage gold necklace I bought!
I found lots of rhinestone pieces with nothing over $1.50 a pair.
Beautiful vintage crystal knobs.
A classic wood bench for $8.00. I have plans to reupholster and paint this guy.
These are only a few of the pieces I picked up at the Everything $1.00 vendor.
Some old rubber stamps.
E and S for Eugene and Shelly!
I didn’t buy this art for the images but for the chunky bold frames–$8.00 for the pair! WhooHoo!
A pretty ornate frame that will look great with some paint.
This chunky wood frame was purchased in the rain for only $8.00. Another stellar find!
Vintage yarn spools and a ceramic glove mold which I see a lot but not for $9.00 which is what I paid for it.
My vintage typewriter! It is in excellent condition and it puts a smile on my face.
Love my vintage scale! I bargained for this and won!
I found lots of cool vintage hardware pieces I’ll create jewelry with.
A beautiful silver plate serving piece. I’m thinking of using the bottom as a planter and will repurpose the top into something else.
Tiara Black Diamond Cocktail Set–Ice Bucket and six DOF’s
Vintage Salt Cellars!
And, beautiful vintage hankies!
Now that you’ve seen some of the items I purchased, I want to share a few tips on shopping the sale with you. This was the second year I attended the sale and between the two years I’ve learned a lot.
1. Plan your route early and make hotel reservations! Most of the hotels along the route sell out several months in advance and many raise their rates beyond your wildest dreams. Yes, Super 8 was charging $250 for a room over the weekend. I found a great room at the Crossville, TN Best Western for $90. Not only was the hotel nice, offering a free hot breakfast but it was located right off interstate 40 so there were lots of stores, gas stations and restaurants in the area. This will definitely be a stop for next year.
The other towns I’d look to stay in is Danville, KY or Albany, KY.
2. Kentucky has the best selection and some of the best prices. Last year we drove from Alabama up north to Chattanooga and although I found some good deals I heard from many people that Kentucky was the place to shop. I also read the blog post from Eddie Ross on the items he found last year during the sale shopping between Kentucky and Chattanooga. Based on this info. we decided this year to drive to Kentucky and come south.
All along the route you’ll find large pockets of vendors set up to sell items. Kentucky had more of these than Tennessee or Georgia. In some places over 500 vendors were set up. Frankfort, Danville and Liberty, KY all had major shopping areas. Crossville, TN was also one of the spot we heard that HGTV films at.
In my opinion stopping at these larger shopping spots paid off more than stopping more often at smaller venues.
3. If you love it, buy it! Don’t pass up something you love because I promise you’ll be thinking about it for the rest of the trip. The Longest Yard Sale is not a place you want to muddle over your purchase. If it fits your budget and you love it, go for it because there are lots of people looking over your shoulder. My friend Tina snagged a $15 chair from under two women because she didn’t stop to think about it.
4. Negotiate the price! All of the vendors selling along the route are willing and expect to bargain on their prices. I always ask “is this the best price you can do?’ and they always come down on the price. I even had some vendors come down by 1/2 or more.
5. Bring sufficient cash and small bills! There are not a lot of banks or stores along the route so having cash on hand is a good deal. Some vendors take credit cards but using a my credit card in some field in the middle of Tennessee was not something I wanted to do.
6. Bring lots of water and food. Last year we only had two bottles of water when we started the trip and no food. We thought we’d pass places to stop and eat but really didn’t. While there are some small towns with restaurants along the way there are major areas where there is nothing at all. If you don’t want to spend the weekend eating fair food, pack snacks and sandwiches in a cooler. Subway made this trip easy for us.
7. Dress comfortably and wear a hat. It is hot as the dickens here in the south in August and being in the sun all day can wear you out. Make it easy on yourself and don’t try to be cute….go for comfort!
And finally, take the time to enjoy the scenery and the people. We met lots of super nice people along the route, some of the vendors I shop with at Scott Antique were even there. You can definitely create some great memories during the Longest Yard Sale so have fun and take time to enjoy it all!
As for The Longest Yard Sale 2013….
I’ve already started thinking about the trip. I’ll definitely be spending more time shopping Kentucky and am working on a partnership with either Dodge or Ford to secure cargo vans to take along. I’d love to have a caravan of bloggers and friends so if you are interested let me know in the comments and I’ll keep you posted on all the plans.
That’s just about it for this years Longest Yard Sale.
For more info on the Longest Yard Sale and tips on shopping the sales, check out theses Southern Living videos here and here by Eddie Ross.
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Hugs!
