| (by Sam Maxfield 2001) © Touch Nottingham (internet magazine and What's On guide) When I was six years old I went to a jumble sale at my infant school and purchased what was probably a piece of genuine 1950's underclothing. A white slip (huge on me) with a full, many netted skirt. This was 1976, and cost me the huge sum of half a penny, and when I wore it I felt like the most gorgeous princess/ballerina/star on the planet. An aunt gave me an old pair of ballet slippers four sizes too big which I wore with my slip. I must have looked ridiculous with my bony, flat-chested body draped in the full-womaned splendour of 1950's excess and slippers more akin to clown shoes than graceful swan-lake tippy-toes. But when I pirouetted (I use that term loosely) and that amazing mass of frothy lace swirled in response the feeling was sheer joy. Absolute joy. And I still feel the same anticipation when I see a notice for a jumble sale now. The shiver of a anticipation at a treasure unjumbled for a bargain price. Pennies in fact. I keep clear of old underwear and shoes, but there is a vast array of potential at jumbles. Recently I bought a bedspread which was in perfect condition and would have cost me at least £30 new. After a wash it went straight on my bed, and not only gives me renewed pleasure with it's vivacity each day, but provides a new toy for my cats to slowly rip apart. That's ok - it only cost a pound. Jumble sales are great if you're setting up house, and have very little money. They're also great if, like me, you love eclectic originals, things with a history and character rather than from the shelves of Ikea. Jumbles sales provide glasses, crockery, cutlery, corkscrews, containers, teapots, pans, curtains, table-cloths. I bought a beautifully made blanket box from a jumble that I painted, a chest of drawers, which I decoupaged, and a chair, which I upholstered. None of them cost me more than £2 per item. When my brother was in his teens he used to trawl jumble sales for dress shirts and then sell them, for a small profit, to a shop in a neighbouring town. I've never done that with clothes but I occasionally have done with one-off items I've recognised as something I might sell to a dealer. Mostly, though, I go for the sheer pleasure of finding an unexpected painting, a quirky glass, a piece of Liberty fabric; of taking it home and cleaning it up so a filthy vase gleams, restored to glory and purpose. Jumbling takes imagination. It takes the ability to see beyond an item's current state and imagine it restored, or transformed. Jumble sale finds are the ugly ducklings of bargain-hunting, and you have to develop an eye for potential swans. You have nothing to lose, other than a few meager pennies, and much to gain. Even if you find nothing, your 20p at the door has gone towards a 'cause'. However there are some vital tips to jumble saling that you need to remember. They are: Get there early. People queue for jumble sales - some of these people are dealers and will clear the tables of anything they consider valuable so quickly you won't see it go. Don't worry - what they're looking for and what you want are not necessarily the same. Take plenty of small change. Jumble sales don't take kindly to twenty pound notes. Take carrier bags, or if you're obsessive, bin liners. Ask the volunteers to hold larger items you've purchased out of sight of other mad jumblers. Be aggressive (but don't start a fight). Old women will hurt if you if they can, and have no remorse about doing so. Push your way onto the stall. You might want to think about elbow and knee pads. Don't haggle. That's just plain mean at a jumble sale. They're not flea markets, or car boots where it's perfectly acceptable. Check goods for chips, holes etc. Just because it's jumble doesn't mean it has to be crap. Some jumbles are better than others. Wealthy areas, and I hate to admit it, Conservative clubs (ouch), Girl Guides/Scouts, Rotary Clubs and churches provide fairly rich pickings Most all enjoy it. Remind yourself it's not life or death when the woman next to you grabs the designer jacket from your hands. Smile, shrug, then stamp on her foot. Make it hard. Have your money ready. Get out. read more rants and raves |