The sun shines brightly in the clear blue sky. The temperature hovers at a crisp 66 degrees. And the roads of Northdale, in northwest Hillsborough County, are packed. Deal seekers hit the neighborhood at the crack of dawn, waiting to pounce at the first creak of an opening garage door. The community's annual fall garage sale has attracted a bigger crowd than in recent years. Thank the economy for that. Folks simply want an even better, cheaper deal than when gas was closer to $2 a gallon and everybody's raises weren't on hold. Of course, it's still just plain fun to find a good-as-new $250 Coach leather bag for $25, too. We caught up with a few shoppers to see what they were loading into their trunks, and what advice they might have for future sales.
Kim Burchett, 31,a Tampa area Realtor
Burchett found a bin of Halloween decorations and related supplies, which she plans to use for her daughter's holiday party, for just $7. She recommends haunting the bigger neighborhood events rather than driving from sale to sale.
"With gas being so expensive, these community ones are good because you don't have to go around so much," Burchett said.
Nicole Walker, 20, USF student
Walker drove over from the University of South Florida, where she lives and studies electrical engineering. She needed a vacuum cleaner after hers kicked the bucket.
First, she checked Craigslist for comparison prices, but she knew she could do better than the $20 to $150 offers she found there. So she headed to Northdale, where she outfitted her apartment a year earlier, to seek a true bargain.
She found a Hoover for $2.
"I didn't even test it out, but I have faith," Walker said. "I love garage sales because they're cheap."
Dottie Leeds of Tampa, and Linda Crawford of Odessa
For Leeds, left, and Crawford, the thrill is the hunt. They've been rummaging together almost three years, and they say if you know the values of your vintages, great finds are everywhere.
On this day, they discovered a $75 pair of candleholders for just $10 and a $40 Wedgewood plate for $5. They also picked up some jewelry, dinnerware and glasses.
"A lot of older things you can't find anywhere except at a garage sale at the price you can afford," Leeds said. "You can get addicted to it."
"It's a treasure hunt," Crawford, 58, added, as she snagged a pair of Santa and Mrs. Claus statues for $5. "I love it."
[Last modified: May 27, 2009 01:05 PM]
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