Couch Sa[i]ls
Analysis By Leslie Millikin

When asked to write an article on garage sales in British Columbia, I remembered something I'd written while still a resident of Saskatchewan: of Saskatoon, to be exact. The piece, written tongue in cheek (and cheeks on couch), is likened to the sport of sailing and pays tribute to those savvy young collectors who capitalize on the adage "what's old is new again." What follows is that highly subjective and speculative piece, conveniently researched through the grapevine.

Writers need to experience things. How can I write about garage sales when I am chagrined to say that I am usually sipping my first coffee when the city's Saturday morning garage sa[i]lors are busily poking around tables of usable refuse...when people are responding to "Another one bites the dust. Moving to Alberta" and other such signs, promising great buys to be had.

But I know about garage sales. I've heard talk about Saskatoon being the garage sale capital of Canada. When winter has forced its last breath of bone-chilling wind, the spring breeze blows in. And along with it comes the sa[i]ling crowd: those early-bird types who kick the wind out of my late-blooming sails.

I might be able to verify more garage sale hearsay if I would join the throngs; instead of pondering the regatta I know is going on out there...instead of lazily reflecting upon my personal truism: "If I saw GARAGE SALE signs last night, this must be Saturday."

To get on with the point, rumour has it that out there in the flurry of sa[i]ling activity are crafty young people, with a keen eye, who are garnering stock for their retro stores. They are the new breed of 20-somethings who are getting into the biz by buying up 60's kitsch and then turning a profit. Why 20-somethings, why kitsch and why Saskatoon?

I suspect the age factor plays a part in it. That is, people bordering 30 are nostalgic for their youth, or that which they missed out on, if born in the 70s. The over 40s have "been there, done that" when it comes to the 60s stuff. Why, they might think, would anyone want a tacky lava lamp? They may not understand, as the young collectors do, that the appeal is in the irony.

Because Saskatoon is always a little behind in trends, it is a good place to plunder. As a friend of mine says, "I lived my 60s in the 70s". If it's trendy elsewhere, it'll be here soon; and it's an opportunity for the innovators to get ahead of the game by cashing in on the trend transition.

We Saskatonians like to think we have good taste. Kitsch is about good taste -- or lack thereof -- and about recognizing the distinction between kitsch and high art. If we're here in all our tasteful (well, by our standards) ways today, then our collective fathers and mothers must have had some pretty nifty things.

Objects, which were thought to have had their day; and must, conjecture the collectors, be tucked away in the basement. To be nearby when this cool stuff is transported to the garage, is as easy as getting up early (well, for some people, that is)...

These reasons, I muse, are why I hear the frenzy of activity in my neighbourhood every spring Saturday. It's why cars are stopping momentarily outside my window. After all, the drivers are busy people and they must quickly size up what treasures can be found in my neighbour's garage before sa[i]ling on. They have places to go, items to be found, and money to make.

But will I ever find those kitschy pieces? Not likely. At least not on a Saturday morning. I'll let the collectors dig them up and mark them up before I get up. If the rumour is true, I still might acquire some long-desired treasure, but it will be on my own time. At this point I'd rather lounge on my couch and speculate about garage sales and the like.

Leslie Millikin is a freelance writer, editor, and designer who now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

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