I survived one day of the World's Longest Yard Sale yesterday. My husband and I started the route in Trenton, GA and traveled to the south end in Gadsden, AL, on our way home from a trip to Chattanooga, TN.
First of all, my husband has never really experienced a yard sale before yesterday. He told me on the way home last night that I may regret ever introducing him to this form of shopping! I had to LOL! I think I've created a yard sale hopping monster man! He LOVED it. And all the time leading up to this part of our trip, I was thinking that he was going to be miserable all day while I took it all in. NOT! He out shopped me by several dollars and items. He's already planning a trip for next year specifically to take in as much of the WLYS that he can cram into four days!
Next, my impressions of the World's Longest Yard Sale...
If you are a lover of yard sales in general, you'll really LOVE this experience. If not, well, it's fun to do once to say you did it but you may want to plan something else for entertainment next time! I'm somewhere in between. I went with two primary purposes:
To say I'd been there! I first learned about the WLYS several years ago on HGTV and decided then that 'one day' I had to check this out. Mission accomplished. I can now say that I've been there. And based on my husband's attraction to this form of shopping, it looks highly likely that I'll be doing this again sometime.I was also scoping things out to see if this was something I wanted to pursue as a seller. While I didn't investigate as many of the clusters of 'yard sales' as I had hoped, I've come to the conclusion that I probably won't attempt this as a seller. If I lived in the neighborhood I may have a different opinion. But since I live several hundred miles from the closest point of the WLYS, I just don't think it would be cost effective for me.So how was it? The first word that comes to mind is HOT. It was very hot, even in the shade. And not all of the sellers were in the shade. Wear cool clothing, comfortable shoes, sunglasses and a hat. The hat was the hard part for me. I hate to wear hats. But I did yesterday to help shade my face. Plan to carry a bottle of water around with you so that you stay hydrated.
Be prepared to stop and start and pull off the side of the road to park. Yard sales are scattered along the route. Some are 'stand alone' yard sales while you'll also find clusters of individuals grouped together. Some locations are in the shade while others in out in the sun. Regardless, it's still HOT!
There are food and beverage vendors along the way but there's no way to predict when/where to find them. Some clusters are located near convenience stores and restaurants. Again, this is totally unpredictable so go prepared with some snacks.
You can drive miles without seeing anyone selling anything. You can encounter both large and small clusters, sometimes only a few hundred yards apart. Often in cluster situations, there will be sellers on both sides of the road. Be prepared to park and walk a little. It will save time and wear and tear on your vehicle.
At first, we stopped at several locations in succession. We quickly changed our strategy to stopping only at clusters. We had one day and wanted to take in as much as we could. Clusters were more efficient for us. We probably missed some great stuff by not stopping at individual sales but we had to make the best use of our time.
Along the way there were signs advertising both free space and 'for rent' space to set up to sell. I didn't really investigate the options because I had decided early on that this wasn't a selling strategy that I planned to pursue. I did think about some pros and cons of individual vs. cluster locations. The pros of one seem to be the cons of the other. Here's my take...
If you live along the route then obviously a huge pro is the convenience of setting up in your own front yard. It's also less expensive since you don't have travel, lodging and extra food costs to factor in.Another pro that I see for individual set ups is that you won't have to compete with a cluster of sellers to capture the attention of shoppers. The con side of this is that shoppers like me preferred clusters of yard sales because it was more efficient. So while you may not have to compete with bunch of other booths, you will probably have less people stopping to check out your stuff.Clusters are more likely to attract more shoppers. However, those shoppers can be easily distracted and even overwhelmed by, the number and variety of other sellers and their wares, so that's a con. Also, the cluster areas we checked out were very loosely organized. While attempts were made to create nice, neat rows of vendors, that isn't always the way it worked out! So navigating a cluster of sellers was challenging at times. Another con.Because I was looking through the eyes with a handmade bias, I was a bit disappointed to see as much commercially made stuff as I saw. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't at a craft show/fair--I was at a huge yard sale!
If you've ever considered checking out all or part of the World's Longest Yard Sale, I encourage you to plan a trip. In addition to a treasure hunt, you'll also experience seeing a part of the US countryside that you may not otherwise ever see. And you'll meet folks that will make you smile. Enjoy!
Not Many Beginnigan's Around Today Added by MugQuotes on August 3, 2012 at 5:09am View Photos Previous | Next 
Bennigan's Coffee Mug, green and white. Was a fun place to meet for good food with friends.
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On June 28th we announced a Summer Trash to Treasure Challenge and asked for volunteer judges. The Challenge was to use any kind of trash or recycled materials incorporated into some form of art. Entries must be related to the Summer season.
Judy writes the ‘Fantastic Five‘ column where she features 5 Zibbet items every week. She is the owner of four Zibbet shops: Portable Graffiti Graphics, Portable Graffiti buttons, Proofreader, and Wild Goose Chase vintage, crafts and supplies. You can follow Judy on Facebook.
It was a beautiful week to make a “trip” to Stamford, Connecticut, not far from the Big Apple to interview Sue Viola, known as Sue Stitches on Zibbet.Sue is not only talented, but also a generous and kind person. When you purchase a hat from Sue’s shop, one hat will be donated toHalos of Hope, a non-profit organization that donates hats to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Sue says that is her YBO/IDO promise (you buy one, I donate one).Please enjoy the interview, leave Sue a comment, and then use the Share Tools so others can read it, too. Please spread the Zibbet Love!
Hi , I’m Sue Viola, and am originally from a small town in Westchester County, New York. Currently, I reside in lower Fairfield County, Connecticut, about 45 minutes from New York City. I’ve been creative since childhood and always loved art classes in school. I even dreamt of becoming a fashion designer when I was in high school.I’m a big reader, everything from mysteries to biographies. I also love listening to music, especially when I’m creating and love finding new artists and genres on Pandora radio. I also enjoy old movies, especially Audrey Hepburn films, traveling and art museums. I’ve also become a bit of a “health freak” and have given up certain foods from my diet and also have been exercising more. I’ve also given up drinking coffee, and have noticed the benefits of doing that just after the first week. 
Nature inspires me mostly. I love flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, rainbows and the ocean. Bright colored yarns are what I like working with most. They always bring a smile to my face and to my customers!I admire anyone who has had a dream and made it a reality by working hard and not giving up.Designing my own crocheted items! I have listed a few of my own designs and patterns in my shop and hope to continue with that.
The ease of listing items, the clean look of the shop, and the close-knit community overall.Seller-curated treasuries on the front page, and also likes and views on individual items. It would be helpful to actually interact with a potential buyer. The usual avenues, Facebook, Twitter, Blog and Pinterest. I also make it a point to carry my business cards with me always just in case the subject of my shop should come up.
Definitely get involved in the community forums, which is something I need to do more of myself. The Zibbet groups on Facebook are also invaluable as well, in terms of advice and support. The owner of my own “brick and mortar” craft shop, with walls of yarn, my own designs for sale, and classes in crocheting and knitting.
There’s nothing more frustrating than selling an item online and not being able to find it quickly and easily. How you store your items will depend on what those items are and the space limitations you face. Most of us work from our homes and have to be creative, not only when designing and making the items we sell, but also in how we store those items. I asked Zibbet sellers to share some of their product storage tips. Here’s what they had to say…
“My best tip is to use clear storage containers whether it be zippered bags, shoe boxes or bins. Being able to see what’s in each container can save time. I have different sized ones for gloves, hats and scarves. Baggies are used for pins, barrettes, tape measures and magnets. Visually it’s not as ‘pretty’ in the studio but allows me to get to everything fast when I need it. Second tip, if possible, use your walls to hang things. This area is often overlooked. My clocks line the walls as do the embroidery hoops.” ~ All About the Buttons
“I use plastic scrap booking paper storage boxes for storing jewelry. Each box contains zip top bags with similar types of handmade jewelry items. These boxes stack nicely and don’t take up much room. They’re great for transporting my jewelry to and from craft shows. I attach a hang tag to each item and write the item’s Zibbet ID number on the back of the tag. This helps me at shows to keep track of what needs to be unlisted from my Zibbet shops after the show.” ~ LOC Design Studio
Vicki is committed to assisting her fellow Zibbeters improve their shops for successful online selling. She is the owner of five Zibbet shops: LOC Design Studio, Denim and Pearls, A Stitch and a Prayer, Black Creek Crossing and Think Like a Fish. You can follow Vicki on Twitter and through her LOC Design Studio blog.