The Mountain States Collector newsletter

Texoma Trade Days

Podcast hosts Julie and Jake describe a field report from Texoma Trade Days, held at a run-down, mostly abandoned “ghost mall” with an eerie backrooms vibe. They recount meeting a wide variety of vendors—from casual yard-sale style setups to curated booths—and talking with longtime resellers and people who transitioned from corporate careers, emphasizing how secondhand markets help reconnect with community. Julie buys three items: an oversized dental model mouth she plans to turn into wall art (possibly with a gold tooth and tongue), a D.A.R.E. button that sparks memories of the school anti-drug program and its officer-led presentations, and a dozen unwashed farm-fresh eggs, prompting an explanation of why unwashed eggs can sit out and how refrigeration helps for poaching. They also note vintage childhood items, old tech like an eight-inch floppy disk and a Nokia brick phone, Star Wars-themed suit, and unsettling war memorabilia.

The Mountain States Collector newsletter

Julie shares a print newspaper she found in Colorado: The Mountain States Collector, covering antiques and the secondhand market. She highlights an article by DeDe Horan on unusual postcard categories collectors seek (e.g., stilts, rolling pins, hot dogs, lawn mowers, tarpon fish) and encourages subscribing and using it as a local events resource. The Mountain States Collector online = https://mountainstatescollector.com/ [https://mountainstatescollector.com/]

Nature is calling at the garage sale

Julie and Jake discuss a real yard-sale dilemma: what to do when you urgently need the bathroom while shopping at someone’s home. Jake says he’d leave to find a nearby public restroom rather than ask the homeowner. Julie describes planning ahead by using restrooms between stops, notes differences for women, mentions adult briefs as an option, and recommends Home Depot and Lowe’s for cleaner bathrooms. They discuss whether sale hosts should allow restroom use (generally no, except possibly for kids), and the etiquette of asking sellers to hold items briefly while you run to the restroom.

How long is too long for a garage sale?

Jake brings up an Edmonton man running a garage sale for three consecutive months that neighbors call an eyesore and are complaining about, prompting a discussion of rules around sale duration and permits. Julie explains that in Texas, even without municipal permitting, state law limits homeowners to no more than three sales in a 12-month cycle or they may be treated as a business, and notes a weekend sale counts as one. They share practical garage-sale tactics, end-of-day discounting, using a free box, donating leftovers, and briefly discuss haggling at local shops.

Mega Cul-de-sac Garage Sale Event

Julie tells Jake about spotting a sign for five coordinated garage sales on a nearby cul-de-sac and visiting three of them, meeting neighbors and hearing about a massive ornate hutch left by previous owners. For $8 total, she buys a hand-painted piggy bank, an unopened 500-piece Dowdle downtown Nashville puzzle, the book “My Best Friend’s Exorcism”, and three half-moon wicker wall decor pieces to use outdoors.