I went to a really good yard sale the previous Saturday where I picked up some cool stuff, primarily a big handful of the 1970s silk wide ties that I am so fond of. This yard sale was held on a very nice street in a very nice part of town.
Ironically, these yard sales are usually some of the worst yard sales in terms of finding good stuff because affluent people (particularly middle-aged couples and younger) didn't get rich by giving things of value away. In addition, either the wife or her friends are often 'interior decorators' or 'interior designers' so anything any good is snagged early on and never reaches the yard. Either that or the house is full of five year old trendy 'decorator-look' decor that has become tacky and must be disposed of and replaced (by more fun shopping!) with the current trendy look.
But this sale was different. This seemed to be an old Raleigh family that 'got' it. The son was cool to everybody and gave people amazing deals. He wore a threadbare Barbour 'Husky' jacket (the quilted style with diamond stitching) and drove a beater Ford pickup and has a farm out in the sticks. It's funny. A middle-aged guy with the same jacket (newer) from the neighborhood showed up and ingratiated himself by dropping the right references ("You know him...he went to UNC"). A bright-eyed young blonde also did the same thing to the parents. "Hiiiii...we are new to the neighborhood, etc." The contrast between this family and these other folks from that neighborhood was palpable.
The father was distinguished but relaxed and pleasant to intruders (like myself) pouring over the accumulation of a life's experiences. I hope that he understood that, as I was pulling out these old ties with glee, I was showing my appreciation for his family's style and old-school class.
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