Credits Host: Maggie BlahaTheme music: “Thanks for the Memory” written by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger, performed by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross in the 1938 film of the same name
Greg’s yard sale lacked personality. Everything he was selling was very generic, and he had no attachment to any of it.
While Greg had never been to any sort of yard or rummage sale before, he knew he wanted to have one once he moved into his new home in a sleepy Atlanta suburb.
Are you wondering if this episode of the podcast is going to be as boring as Greg is? Tune in to find out.
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Episode transcript
INTRO. Maggie: You’re listening to Thrift: What Your Garage Sale Says About You, a podcast that explores the stories behind the things we once loved and are ready to let go of.
THEME MUSIC. (30 seconds)
Maggie: I’m Maggie Blaha, and in each episode of the podcast I’ll be checking out a garage sale in the Atlanta area (and sometimes outside of it) to talk to people about the things they’re selling and buying.
This week, I’m sharing Greg’s story. Greg is not this yard sale host’s real name. Before I interview people, I ask them if they’re comfortable with my using their name on the podcast. If they’re not, I like to give them a pseudonym that I think captures who they are.
Greg just seemed like a good name for this athletic, brownish-blonde-haired man who, if I had to guess, makes a living as a personal trainer. A lot of the things he was selling were related to health and fitness: workout DVDs, dumbbells and other exercise equipment, books about nutrition. Apart from this stuff, Greg’s yard sale sort of lacked personality.
He was very unsentimental about what he was selling, and his lack of attachment made his stuff seem, well, boring. I usually like to buy one thing from the people I interview, and the only thing I had any interest in was a book of cocktail recipes called New American Bartender’s Handbook. It now sits on top of the little cart where I store my alcohol in the corner of my small studio apartment. Maybe one of these days I’ll have people over for Manhattans.
But I digress… Let’s actually hear from Greg about why he and his partner decided to have a garage sale.
AUDIO CLIP #1
I thought it was interesting that Greg moved things he knew he didn’t want to keep from his old house into his new one. He even moved with the intention of having a garage sale once he was settled in his new place, which took about a year. I don’t think it was because Greg was secretly trying to hold onto his stuff a little longer. Honestly, I think he just didn’t really want to be bothered with organizing a garage sale.
AUDIO CLIP #2
I get the sense that everything Greg owns serves a purpose. If I were to walk around inside his house, I’m sure I wouldn’t find any clutter. There would be nothing that shouldn’t be there. Even the stuff he was selling, for the most part, clearly once served a purpose in his daily life.
But that’s what we should all aspire to, right? To have less stuff, to only acquire and hold onto what we need? I must be passing this judgment that Greg somehow lacks personality or character because he’s not like me. He would never buy a tea set decorated with an Ancient Greek design or Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood fridge magnets for the hell of it. He doesn’t understand why someone would want to own those things, and that’s something I can’t understand.
AUDIO CLIP #3
It turns out that there was one piece of furniture Greg had some sentimental attachment to: a credenza that was originally worth $5,000. But it was damaged, and it’s one of those things you never get around to fixing, so it just made sense to sell it. He also ended our interview on a profound note: It’s not the things we own that hold our memories. When we get rid of our things, the memories are still there.
Now I think that Greg is a philosopher.
That’s it for this week’s episode of Thrift. Thanks for listening!
OUTRO. (5 seconds)
