Stoopin' 2007 Report
2007 (June 16)
Brooklyn - As in past years, the 7th Annual sale's sellers include old-timers such as our hosts wjcohen & Alison (and daughters Lila & Ruby); Joy & Rob (and dog Piper); and yours truly.
The months leading up to sale were dominated by long-time stooper Stinky's will-he, won't-he retirement talk. But like Jordan and Clemens before him, Stinky left that small percentage of a chance open that he might reconsider. And coming down to the wire, prospects looked good for Stink's return to business. But then, tragically, a death in the family took he & Betsy away for the weekend and absent from the sale. Also missed this year were stoop regulars Sari, Rebecca, and Kristen, but we were lucky to add lovely red_letter_days to the mix.
The new location, across the street from Carroll Park, added a different element to the sale. Instead of the typical rush of manic early birds, attacking the wares before they'd been properly displayed, the crowd was more of a slow but steady stream throughout the (blisteringly hot) day.
Unfortunately, even though we took up the whole front of the stoop, a good portion of the sidewalk of the adjacent school, and even inspired wjcohen's next-door neighbors to have a sale of their own, there just wasn't enough space to really display the prime items. Personally, I did well, netting about $100 for my unwanted DVDs, books, comix, brick-a-brack, and computer equipment.
And Lila and her pals cleaned up with their assortment of lemonade (two flavors!), chocolate chip cookies, and brownies.
But wjcohen flooded the sale with vintage early 90s technology salvaged from his dad's basement. Even though some CD jewel cases and keyboard wrist-rests sold, he was still left with a large surplus of desk organizers, home security systems, and document clips when the day was done. And as usual, everyone had a devil of a time unloading their clothes, sweaters, and shoes.
For next year's sale, I vow to only bring the most select, delectable items. Most books, clothes, and shoes are dead weight, and always end up forming the bulk of what gets donated to the Salvation Army at day's end.
Now please enjoy some of wjcohen's remarkably artful shots of the sale...
