Garage Sale Mania in Imlay City

Another avalanche of visitors coming to town to find a deal or two is being predicted by Imlay City Rotarian and Garage Sale Mania event promoter, Walt Bargen, as Garage Sale Mania continues today, Friday, May 4 through tomorrow, Saturday, May 5 in Imlay City. According to the Tri-City Times, locations of residents and businesses that registered garage sales in advance will appear on 2018 Garage Sale Mania maps available at numerous business locations and at the Imlay City City Office. Sale items range from household items and clothing to children's toys and games, tools, antiques, collectibles and more. Imlay City City Office is located at 150 Main Street in Imlay City.

According to garagesalecow.com, the first actual rummage sales were held at docks. Cargo that was unclaimed or damaged would be hauled out of the hold and put up for sale. By the nineteenth century, this practice was being called a rummage sale and also referred to the sale of damaged or unwanted goods from warehouses or storehouses.

By the 1890s, the rummage sale was something that would be held at communal locations such as parks or churches, often for a charitable cause or to raise money for a church. People would donate their unused items to be sold off which is something that is still common today.

Rummage or garage sales at the home evolved from a tradition that has spanned back centuries. In almost every corner of the globe, it has been common practice for people to set out a few items on a table or blanket in front of their homes to be sold or traded. As homes and the amount of unnecessary possessions increased, the modern garage sale was born.

After World War II, people across North America found themselves with greater amounts of money to buy more and more of the new consumer goods and gadgets that were flooding the market throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. People were also buying homes complete with easy to access driveways and garages. In the 1970s the garage sale became very popular as homes became the perfect staging ground for people to sell their unwanted goods and generate extra money.

Today garage sales are still a great way to make some extra money, to prepare for a move or to pare down clutter. The internet has taken garage sale advertising to a whole new level as people are advertising their sales for days or weeks in advance at no cost. These sales are unregulated, with only select municipalities requiring those who wish to hold a sale to obtain a permit. It is estimated that garage sale sales could account for $2 billion annually.

Source: Tri-City Times, garagesalecow.com