Garage Sale Gangs?

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Garage Saling Gangs? | OKC Craigslist Garage Sales Blog

"Well one gang anyway and they wouldn't
have it any other way!"

Group Garage Saling: The More, the Merrier
at Garage Sales

by Lynda Hammond

When I’m garage saling—heading from sale to sale—it’s a peaceful, quiet time. The only sound in my car is from the news at the top of the hour or the music playing on the radio. But for Donna Miller the ride is a lot different than that.

“It’s noisy. Everyone’s talking and wondering what we’re going to find,” she says laughing.

Donna and five of her friends—who also live in the same area-- get together and head out early in search of garage sales. On Saturdays, Donna leaves her house by seven, drives down the street of their Mesa retirement community to each of their homes and picks them up and they’re off.

I met the group at a neighborhood event when they pulled up to a sale and all jumped out of the van. They quickly scanned the items up for sale and were headed back to the coach when I got them to stop long enough so I could snap a photo.

Garage Sale Gangs Audrey Knapp, Donna Miller | OKC Craigslist Garage Sales

Garage Sale Gang or Group Garage Salers?
Audrey Knapp and Donna Miller

Audrey Knapp was thrilled. “I think one of our favorite experiences was running into you. No one has ever wanted to take our picture before.”

The ladies love to garage sale at community sales with big houses. They stay away from mobile home parks because—as Donna says—“they have the same junk we do.” The 77-year-old Wisconsin native says she feels fortunate that she can still go to garage sales. She’s had a hip replacement and has four stints in her heart. She’s convinced garage saling is good for her heart.

The group looks for things that are unique and rare. In fact, Jan Arends’ favorite garage sale find—an old quilt—was so good that to this day she still feels a little guilty about it.

“I’m almost ashamed to say the seller had $15 on it and I offered him $10. And I heard him say as I was walking away ‘My Grandma made that’. He didn’t know how much work had gone into it and obviously wasn’t sentimental about it. But stuff like that’s fun.”

Jan also says there’s strength in numbers. They each keep their eyes out for things someone else in the group may be looking for. “If someone needs glass we look for glass items. Or if someone needs a lamp we keep our eyes open,” Jan, a Minnesota native says.

Although she loves the treasure hunt, Audrey Thompson says her favorite part of the outing comes a bit later in the morning.

“We always go to McDonald’s afterwards for breakfast and visit. We talk about who got the best bargain of the day,” Audrey says.

Garage sale “season” is over now for the ladies. You see, these snowbirds all fly the coop for the summer heading back to see family and friends in their home states. But come October, you can bet, they’ll be enjoying the hunt for bargains together again.


Garage Sale Gang Left to Right: Denie Hager, Audrey Knapp, Donna Miller, Carol Haskins, Jan Arends and Audrey Thompson all live in the same retirement community and garage sale together on Saturdays (Pic provided by Lynda Hammond)