Kelly Riegler went into labour going through a box of Baby Gap clothes at a garage sale.
“Everything was brand new for a dollar,” she recalls.
So she kept sifting through the box’s contents.
“I just let those pains go,” she says with a laugh.
Riegler got to the hospital in plenty of time and the baby was just fine, but anyone who knows the North Vancouver mom probably wouldn’t be surprised by the story.
“Garage-saling,” as she calls it, has been a passion of Riegler’s since she was a teenager. Now 49, she has more than 30 years of bargain-hunting under her belt and still loves it.
“It’s retail therapy without buyer’s remorse and it’s so much fun,” she says. “I have been going to garage sales, seriously, since I was about 18 years old.”
Before she got married and had kids, Riegler, her mom, and a small group of friends would visit garage sales every weekend.
That weekly schedule has changed over the years but Riegler still regularly makes the rounds, now with a camera crew in tow. Her passion has been turned into a web series called Garage Sale Diaries, which was recently picked up by Telus Optik Local and has been nominated for Best Reality Series at the 2016 Vancouver Webfest taking place in March.
The show follows Riegler and her friend Renee Camazzolla, also from North Vancouver, as they explore the local garage sale scene.
“Everybody can identify with having a garage sale. Whether you’re having one or whether you’re going to one,” says Riegler about the show’s appeal.
Riegler and Camazzolla were friends before the show, having met when their kids were in class together at school. Another friend, Scott Reynolds, learned of Riegler’s garage sale passion and put the show together. Camazzolla joined as a co-host in the second season.
“Renee is really funny and I guess we play off each other, and I really enjoy looking for the bargains and all that. So I think it’s really good because we have different interests, but at the end of the day we both have the same mindset where we just really enjoy it and I think that really comes across,” says Riegler. “Once you get lost in the making of the show, you just really enjoy it.”
She says she often forgets the camera is there. “We have a great time,” she adds. “We literally go out with $20, $25 in our pockets and we come home with our trunk filled with stuff. We spend more on lunch than we do on everything that we buy.”
Among Riegler’s favourite finds is a Louis Vuitton key ring she bought for $1 that turned out to be real and worth about $300. She also bought a painting for $75 that has been valued at $3,750. Camazzolla recently got two Fendi dresses for $30, tags still on, worth about $400 each.
She also loves retro and found a tailor-made vintage Hawaiian dress. “She wears it all the time, it’s her absolute favourite,” says Riegler.
Since she has been going to garage sales for so long, Riegler’s fave finds have changed over the years, but it’s not about getting a big money return.
“I actually get as much pleasure finding a mug that I really enjoy or finding something for somebody else I know that they would like,” she explains. “It’s just finding something for a quarter or 50 cents that you love.”
Even her son has come to appreciate the art of bargain-hunting, and recently remarked to his mom that most of the items in their home are from garage sales.
“You get addicted,” says Riegler. “I could not right now imagine going to a mall and spending $50 on a T-shirt. I can’t do that because I know that if I just spend a few hours looking around elsewhere I’ll find it.”
Gone are the days when garage sales carried a negative stigma, and Riegler says now the attendees cover a broad spectrum of demographics.
Although she seeks out sales all over the Lower Mainland, the North Shore is still one of her favourite sale sites.
“The key to garage-saling is you have to go to a lot to find the good stuff. It’s a treasure hunt,” notes Riegler. “Our favourite is always neighbourhood sales. Always go to neighbourhood sales because there will be 10 to 30 houses, all you have to do is park your car, bring your shopping bags, and bumble around. Those are a lot of fun.”
Other tips for garage-saling include going with lots of cash, being prepared to barter but also being respectful of the seller (it should be a win-win outcome), and planning your route.
“Plan a list of the areas you want to go to and write down the addresses, so you can do the most amount in the least amount of time.”
Be aware, however, that the wealthiest neighbourhoods don’t always have the best sales.
“At the end of the day the best garage sale is (with) the people who are just willing to let it go,” says Riegler.
When asked why she has been chasing garage sales for so long, Riegler answers quickly: “What’s not to like about them? It’s just so unique and entertaining because you don’t know what’s going to be there and every sale is so unique.”
Garage Sale Diaries can be seen online at garagesalediaries.tv, and free on demand on Telus Optik TV.
