Wing-tip dress shoes, a brand-new pair of fuzzy socks, aviator glasses, a desk fan, a floor heater, a small succulent, a stovetop kettle and an action figure of wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Not a bad haul for $50.
The Standard spent a few hours perusing vintage records and posters, home furnishings and baked treats, among other goods out on display Saturday as scores of San Francisco homeowners set up shop in front of their homes for the third annual Portola Neighborhood Garage Sale.
Initially, this reporter believed he could carry $100 worth of items by hand from Portola to SoMa but was overzealous about his physical ability. But the 40-household sale had plenty of treasures to offer and drew a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day.
Maggie Weis, Portola Neighborhood Association Board of Directors chair, put out some of her items for sale at the corner of San Bruno Avenue and Burrows Street while handing out maps for attendees to know where to find all the participants.
Born out of the desire to create a fun event for Portola residents during the pandemic, Weis said residents began asking in June and July if the garage sale would be back for a third year.
“People are looking forward to it,” she said. “That’s a good sign because that means it’s a hit. If it didn’t impact people, they wouldn’t be asking for it again.”
Organizing the event also provides the neighborhood association with a chance to raise money for the local community garden at Burrows Pocket Park, Weis added, saying a portion of the participation fee charged would go to buying a new flatbed hand truck to replace one that was stolen from the garden.
Frank Tastevin, who was selling outside of his home on Goettingen Street, had a variety of vintage posters, including signed Carlos Santana posters from the early 1970s. It was his second time participating in the neighborhood garage sale.
Over the years, Tastevin also collected a number of vintage records, a hobby he said began when he was in elementary school and bought the Beatles' first album, Please Please Me.
“Throughout the years, I’ve had to liquidate thousands of records,” he said while sitting in front of the table with boxes of records. “But I kept getting more. I don’t anymore. That’s why I’m out here trying to sell some of my old ones. I love music.”
Tastevin said he sold 25 albums and 10 45-rpm records to a local DJ right as he opened up his garage Saturday morning, marking his largest sale of the day.
“That’s their business,” he said. “The first half-dozen people came for the records, cassette tapes and posters.”
A mile and a half away from Tastevin, Kent Williams sat in front of his home on Silliman Street with an array of various home furnishings, purses and vacuum cleaners.
His third-ever garage sale and first as part of the neighborhood’s event, Williams said he sold just over $300 worth of items—making it the most successful garage sale he has ever had.
“I’ve been here 13 years, and this is great,” he said, adding that the majority of his home furnishings were bought in garage sales. “I buy and sell stuff all the time, sometimes making a little money along the way. In these sales, you can buy something for cheap, and who knows, you could make 1,000% of what you spent down the line.”