Published: May 14, 2008 11:20 am         

Garage sale visits are popular

Drive through any local city or town on a weekend and it’s easy to spot them: Garage sales. Many residents take advantage of weekend bargain hunting.

This week, The News asked local residents what lures them to the sales. Are they looking for something specific? What’s the best item they ever found at a garage sale?

Audrey Bontrager, Goshen, likes to look for items for her children. She said she found all her strollers for her kids at garage sales.

At her own garage sale last weekend, she sold a swing set and three strollers.

“People ask about the sizes of kids’ clothes,” she said, adding that clothes were selling better than miscellaneous items.

Jeff Miller, Goshen — “Sometimes we see what’s advertised in the paper,” he said, explaining that his wife is the one who likes to go to garage sales. Miller said his family holds a garage sale most years and that they like to see if neighbors want to have one at the same time.

Dennis Bontrager, Goshen — “My own personal opinion is that they are dangerous because of the parking. Sometimes it causes really unsafe traffic conditions,” he said. However, he added, “I can see why people go.”

Tammy McClish, Goshen, said garage sales are more successful if you have a lot of stuff to sell. She typically looks for kids’ clothing and toys as well as sheets and blankets when shopping at a garage sale.

Her best garage sale find? A LeapFrog Learning System for her kids.

“Those are about $80 in the store. I got it for $15,” she said.

Kathy Black, Goshen — “I try to look for something different,” Black said of her garage sale experience. Often, she looks for household items as well as clothing for herself and her grandkids.

Why are garage sales so popular?

“People can save money, and a lot of the things are in real good shape,” Black said.

Jim Albert, Goshen, said that while he goes to garage sales occasionally, his wife goes about every week. The best item he ever got at a garage sale was a weed eater, he said. Albert said that the economy is likely resulting in more people looking for deals at garage sales.

Tina Camacho, Goshen, said “the cheap prices” are what brings people to garage sales. Her best find at a garage sale was a bird cage.

Her daughter, Natalie Camacho, Goshen, said she doesn’t look for anything in particular when shopping at garage sales. But she added, “People can actually find what they are looking for at a garage sale.”