How do I even begin to write about my first experience at the Longest Yard Sale in America??!!! What....What....incredible!!!
To begin....Me and my vintage junkin' lovin' bestie (Ashley Burke) headed out from Louisiana on Wednesday afternoon and began the road trip to our first destination and also the beginning of The Longest Yard Sale in America - Gadsden, Alabama.
We stopped a few times on the way up to North Alabama, but the drive was pretty much interstate the entire way, so total drive time was about 8 hours (only due to a major rain storm right before we got into Gadsden, Alabama.
Gadsden is known as the officially starting place of The Longest Yard Sale and we started the sale off at 7am at the very first stop in Gadsden - Noccalula Falls Park at the top of Lookout Mountain! It was beautiful and to kick off the morning of our first day right....we met an incredible little man named Paul (from Kentucky)....as we were getting out our truck...he yells "Ya'll ready Ladies!" and we are like "Of Course!" and he states "I collect Vintage Pyrex!" and we say "Oh yeah...well we do too!" Well by this point Paul was pumped!! He next takes out an organized binder from his truck with pictures of every single Pyrex dish every made!! He has an organized system for keeping up with which pieces he has and which ones he doesn't have...but he is quite the collector and has been collecting since the early 70s! He is currently the owner of over 1,100 pieces of vintage Pyrex!! I would say that he is considered an expert in the field of Vintage Pyrex to say the least!!
To say we knew what to expect is completely wrong...although I was the obsessed researcher (that I usually am before a trip...especially a junkin trip!) we really didn't know what we were walking into...we could only imagine and hope the junkin' God would pour out vintage treasures from the sky!!
Well let me just tell you....that is pretty much what happened...and don't think me and Ash didn't pray on the way...and I tell you...God didn't let us down!!
Here are the cities that we covered on Day #1...(there is an official highway that The Longest Yard Sale is on...through Alabama it is Hwy 176 or also known as Lookout Mountain Parkway...Once you cross into Georgia it is Hwy 157...and then into Tennessee it is Hwy 127 all the way into Michigan!
We covered a ton of ground and went through hundreds of yard sales, antique deals, and my fave...estate sales!!
Here are some of my favorite memories from today and some beautiful sites that we saw!
Junk, Junk, and more junk! For all your picking' needs!!
The beautiful Desoto State Park on Hwy 176! Be prepared for curvy roads for miles!
I love the tiny city of Mentone, AL...beautiful and also home of many famous girls/boys summer camps!
Wildflower Cafe is amazing and located right on the route of the Longest Yard Sale in Mentone, AL (just 6 miles from the Georgia State Line).
So for the final question....what did we find today? Me and Ashley definitely walked away with some steals! Here are the things I found today (sorry for the bad pic...I am posting this from my iPhone and hotel rooms lighting/tacky carpet can just about kill any picture!)
Here is a break down of what I got!! Can I say cheap??
Longest Yard Sale Finds...Day #1:
1. Metal wire basket $10
2. White distressed shelf for wall or can be free standing $10
3. (2) Wire Metal Baskets $2
4. Bama Vintage Tin Can $2
5. Large wooden Spool $5
6. Vintage Pillow $1
7. Large Chalk Board $2
8. Large Tin Water Pale $12
9. Crochet White Sweater $1
10. Large Tomato Basket $3
11. Glass jar with red top $1
12. Small Bama Apple butter jar $1
13. Spool of Lace Ribbon $2
14. Clutch Purse $1
15. Large wooden Frame $15
16. Baby bed spring $15
17. Bag of Lace Trim $1
18. Bag of Vintage Lace $.50
19. Bag of Vintage Papers $1
20. Vintage Material $.50
Total for Day #1: $86.00
Ash had a great junkin' day too and only spent $86 bucks...you can check out her finds here.
She found some great things and even snagged some precious vintage Christmas decor for way too cheap!
Well tomorrow we will both post recaps of Day #2...we are starting in Chattanooga (where we are laying to rest tonight!)
Happy junkie' to all!
Vera
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