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Garage sales offer more than just used goods
Icha and Kuqa were busily poking through a large, big white box filled with clothes, including blouses, pants, jeans, cardigans and jackets, at a garage sale in Menteng, Central Jakarta
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Icha and Kuqa were busily poking through a large, big white box filled with clothes, including blouses, pants, jeans, cardigans and jackets, at a garage sale in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
They came all they way from Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, to seek unique and low-priced clothes at the event held by employees of Djakarta! magazine.
"We found out about the garage sale from Facebook (Internet-based social network utility). The location is pretty far from our home, but that's OK so long as we can buy cool, unique and cheap clothes," said Icha, 17, while sorting and matching the clothes.
EVERYTHING MUS GO: Shoppers (right) select clothes at a yard sale in Kemang, South Jakarta, on Friday. The organizer provided a children’s playground as well as home-cooked meals and homemade drinks. (JP/Triwik Kurniasari)
"We like shopping for clothes. Coming to every garage sale across the city has been our hobby over the past few months because it offers cheaper clothes, bags, shoes and accessories than those sold at stores or boutiques.
"You don't have to buy brand-new clothes to be fashionable and stylish," said the high school student.
Both Icha and Kuqa said they did not mind wearing second-hand items.
"Most of the goods are still in good condition. But, you have to be selective. Check every item you want to buy carefully. If you are lucky, you might get brand-new brand pieces," Kuqa said.
Nyoman Meysavitri, coordinator of the garage sale, which ran from Friday to Saturday, said the garage sale offered goods at prices starting from Rp 5,000 (US$0.40).
"It is our first time organizing this kind of event. We wanted to hold a fun event for everybody," Nyoman told The Jakarta Post recently.
"Although we only promoted the event through Facebook, the results has exceeded our expectations. The garage sale has been teeming with visitors," she said.
The garage sale did not only sell used fashion articles, but also books, CDs, toys and cooking utensils.
One mini-car collector, Didit, was selling off his collection to pay for his baby's medical fees. He was selling the mini cars from Rp 5,000.
"I've been collecting these mini cars since I was a little boy. It is rather hard for me to depart with the collection, but I have no choice. I need the money to pay for my kid's medical expenses," Didit said.
If you were thirsty or hungry after going around the garage sale area, you could go to the snack corner, which offered snacks and fruit juices.
The event aimed to raise people's awareness of environmental issues and avoided the use of plastic bags.
"We have announced that we don't provide any plastic bags in a bid to reduce the amount of plastic," Nyoman said.
"Instead, we have asked them to bring along their own bags. We want to raise people's awareness about this issue," she said, adding that the organizer took a profit of about Rp 2,500 from every item purchased.
"We don't know what were are going to do with the profits yet. We may use the money to hold another garage sale in the future," she said, adding that books, CDs and women clothes were the best-selling items.
A garage sale used to be about getting rid of items ahead of a move or when people's cupboards had become too cluttered, but now it has become a way to sell clothes, accessories, bags, shoes and other fashion items that are still in good condition but are no longer needed or wanted by the owners.
The promotion of garage sales is usually conducted by handing out flyers at schools, campuses and shopping centers, through the Internet and through word of mouth.
Most people venturing to garage sales seek low-priced branded goods still in good condition.
Vintage buffs usually come looking for old clothes, accessories and goods, the sort of items that might have once belonged to somebody's mother or father.
Today, garage sale organizers in the capital are more creative to attract more visitors.
A group of three friends -- Wenny Yuliasari, Christina and Shinta Marsisis -- held a yard sale featuring a children's mini carnival Friday and Saturday in Kemang, South Jakarta.
Shinta's cool front yard was transformed into a mini recreational area, with tents, chairs and a children's swing.
Visitors could sit and relax under the trees while enjoying various drinks and homemade cuisines, including lemonade, softdrinks, fried rice with salted fish, fried rice with sausage and pancakes.
"We often hold garage sales and bazaars around the city. Now, we try to offer different concepts. We don't want to just sell goods," Wenny said.
"At our yard sale, you can take your kids and let them play in the garden while you are shopping," she said.
Lina, a university student, was impressed with the idea.
"I came to the yard sale because I read on a flyer that its food corner offered various cuisines. The food is good and the garden is quite cool," said the 22-year-old woman.
