Mike Morin

As much as I enjoy outdoor summer activities like hiking and softball, no one ever warned me about how much fun I could have at a yard sale.

After moving to Nashua over two years ago, we finally got around at attempting some clutter mitigation. A/k/a – yard sale. My biggest take away? Not the money. We didn’t make that much. The #1 take away turned out to be that bargain hunters like to talk. When they do, I take notes. Amidst selling one-dollar cookbooks and two-dollar dresses, I confirmed my belief that everybody has a story. Here are those yard sale stories.

A guy who was hoping to find tools (I don’t think I own any), settled for a pair of Bluetooth headphones for $5. I sensed it was a sympathy purchase following our two-hour rain delay. I asked him, what was the best thing he ever turned around to flip? He shared that a neighbor gave him a statue or some piece of art she didn’t want. He paid nothing and found someone online in Europe willing to give him $600 for it. Boom! Can’t wait to see how he flips those headphones.

A lovely couple initially from North Carolina saw my dog and shared a story about their 11-year old puppy. The original owner needed to find a new home for the dog. Before he agreed to surrender Jackson, he insisted on having the prospective adopters over to his house to demonstrate exactly how Jackson likes to sit in the chair with the owner and he made sure they knew the dog expected to sit on the center console when travelling in the car. Done deal. The new family followed those instructions and everyone is happy.

Tim came by and bought seven used compact discs. At 67, he shared fond childhood memories of spending Saturdays at the Nashua Library, which he still visits.

There was a young man with the two children he recently adopted from Ukraine. He bought my old Green Bay Packers Jacket. Also, a woman drove up wearing a New York Jets shirt. I threatened to charge her double prices. She bought cookbooks for her 19-year old son who loves to cook for her.

The most compelling story came from a customer who was among the first on scene at the 1973 fire that destroyed much of Chelsea. He was working in a salvage yard there as it started. Over 300 buildings were destroyed in the mile-long area of total devastation. A thousand residents were evacuated, many left homeless. In 1908, an even worse fire destroyed Chelsea. One firefighter told him, “Chelsea looked like a war zone minus the bodies.”

Then, Paul drove up in his 1980 Pontiac Firebird and regaled Barb and me with stories on his 30 years as a flag man at local motor speedways. He originally wanted a Chevy Chevelle. His girlfriend suggested a Firebird. He’s a wise man. I found you can learn things from your yard sale customers, too.

Contact Mike Morin at mike morinmedia@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @MikeMorinMedia. His column runs the first, third and fifth Sundays of the month.

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