May 19, 2013 By Bill Parry
More than 120 homeowners set up rickety tables throughout Sunnyside Gardens yesterday as they peddled their goods as part of the first community-wide sidewalk tag sale.
The biggest cluster of vendors was located on 48th Street, followed by 46th Street. However, there were residents selling their wares throughout the district, which stretched from 43rd to 49th Streets, between Skillman and 39th Avenues.
While an afternoon shower sent buyers and sellers scrambling for cover at one point, the organizers and participants viewed the event as a success.
“For a first event, I was very pleased” said Patricia Dorfman, who organized the community tag sale with fellow Sunnyside Gardens resident Dorothy Morehead. However, “I guess I would have liked more people to have been involved.”
Meanwhile, Morehead said the event was going great until the rain started. However, she said, “It was well worth doing.”
Bargains to be found
While the sellers were able to get rid of items they no longer needed, bargain hunters had a field day. Neal Sugarman, a sax player for the Dap-Kings (a successful funk band), bought a bike for just $35. Dorfman found a leopard print coat for just $2.
As expected, young parents saw the greatest benefit. “There was one couple expecting a baby in October,” Morehead said. “They filled their car with baby stuff like strollers, clothes and toys.”
Some owners were surprised to find buyers for unusual items. At 39-58 46th St., Michael Beck sold a German hand cranked grain mill.
Meanwhile, Joe O’Sullivan, who lives across the street from Sunnyside Gardens Park, sold a refrigerator, a portable air conditioner and even a small window for a grand total over $700.
“The funny thing is I gave away a lot of stuff right before I learned about the sale,” O’Sullivan said. “It was a good day — can’t wait to do it again.”
However, Kathy Sullivan, who was combing through the items, said the event was also about connecting with neighbors. “To me, it was another example of what makes Sunnyside such a powerful community,” she said.
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25 Comments
Can’t have a fair on skillman ave that’s been running for over 20 yes but can have a junk sale a block down. What has this neighborhood come to. Kind of a shame ppl selling there trash instead of donating stuff after sandy hit there’s ppl with nothing
Seriously. At least some non profit benefited from the sale of new junk.
JUNK!!!!!!!!!
Oppressed Masses – Polly want a cracker? Let me know when you need any extra bird feed for your pet pigeon. I can ask Sam from Wespaw Pets to hook you up with a discount on some bird food at his store.
Now this is the Native I was talking about. How are you sweetheart? Did you happen to see the Médaille miraculeuse pour chiens available on 46th Street? I know this would be important to you.
Oppressed Masses also scored a 6 pack of tube socks, to add to his collection from all the socks that he has garnered from all the past Skillman Avenue Festivals. He is looking to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the person with the largest owned quantity of socks…
You’re right sunnyside_native, I mistook you for the fool who posts on here as Sunnyside Native. My apologies, you sound like a normal person who wouldn’t use these pages to expound on a Parks Dept employee who is an expert on her dog’s bowel movements and went to her niece’s wedding.
Oppressed Masses snagged a great deal on a 20 lb. bag of bird feed to give to his pet pigeon. Nice!
Despite what some think, these tag sales/flea markets are great. You never know what you’ll find. Hopefully there will be more.
An eyesore.
I’m sorry I missed the sale and hope there’s another. It’s a good way to meet neighbors, and great to reuse things rather than having to buy new. For the record, I don’t think this was a one-for-one trade-off between the street fair and the rummage sale. If they had both happened, that would have been even better in my opinion, but I’m not planning to slam the sale. I like the suggestion someone made earlier about moving the street fair to 43rd Avenue, if there is really so much community opposition on Skillman.
@just asking
And how many real clothing stores avoided food stains on their merchandise, due to foods sold at the street fairs?
How many people had to endure the smell of sausage and bacon fat? 8 hours of generator noise? Loud music?
Perhaps you have me confused with someone else, OM, I didn’t post here to be called names. Moderator…..where are you?
And good job with the names and amounts of money. I’ m sure there will be no tax consequences, regardless of political leanings!!!
Where did 120 people find rickety tables? From a previous sale? Did anyone call the Guinness records people?
Is this garbage sale what replaced the street fairs???? At least at the fairs you could buy new garbage instead of old used garbage. Plus there would be real food and more than twenty people. Rummage sales are fine I guess, but they should not replace real events that the kids,and real neighborhood locals look forward to. Maybe instead of canceling one event for an even worse one,the whiners who bullied our traditional street fairs away could just work together to make them way better. Id gladly volunteer for that committee. This unevent was worse than the fairs that it replaced and the money frIom it went right into the whiners pockets instead of any community renewal, Kiwanis,etc. Next time, donate your “gently used” crap to the needy and let Sunnyside community NFPs make a bit from a real fair so it goes back into helping the community instead of the overstuffed bah-humbuggers pockets.
Would you listen to old farts Harrummmphing about a good afternoon in the neighborhood! Next year stay your grumpy old ass in the house like you do every Halloween!
I picked up a few boxes of ‘Depends’ for OM. I’ll leave them in front of your Cave, Mr Troll.
RD
Changing it’s name to a “sidewalk sale” is hardly original. As an oldtimer in “THE GARDENS” we have had plenty organized yard sales. A white elephant sale by any other name is still a rummage sale.
Too bad you and your family didn’t get to participate Native. I know you were missed, I overheard the organizers saying that the event lacked a vendor selling shoes for people with six toes. Did you happen to see the table selling JVB Approved gently used doggie diapers?
Buying gently used baby stuff is smart.
Bleach, color safe bleach, rinse, reuse.
Toss that excess cash into a 529 savings plan.
You will need it when junior gets an acceptance to cal tech.
was on every block from 43 st to 48 st from 39th avenue to skillam and was disappointed, only 1 table on each block! only old toys and old albums. at least i got some exercise!
Anonymous has obviously has never heard of detergent. 😉
No offense, but used baby clothes from strangers? Eww… that’s what baby showers are for.
Got a few trinkets, but was really glad to see homeowners out on the street. My family would have participated, but we live in the building on 48th, just off of Skillman, next to the church. I sent an email to the organizers, but never heard back.