Community Corner

Ferndale Residents Report Disappointing Sales Despite Busy Streets

Many residents take advantage of the increased foot traffic during Saturday's Dream Cruise and hold yard sales — some more profitable than others.

As the Woodward Dream Cruise draws about 1.5 million spectators each year, residents take advantage of the increased foot traffic by holding garage and lawn sales.

So how are the bartering, lawn-chair sitting, sunglass-wearing Ferndalians doing on Saturday, the official Dream Cruise day?

Not all that great, but not all that badly.

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Among the three residents we asked who said they were selling their wares Friday and Saturday, two said Saturday has been much slower, while one reported more sales in the first hour of operation Saturday than during the whole of Friday. Five residents running yard sales reported sales of $15 to $50 from the morning to midafternoon.

Vagner Whitehead, a 37-year-old resident who set up shop in his house on West Marshall, was among those who reported higher sales on Friday. He said he made $30 within the first half hour of opening Saturday — about as much as he made during the rest of the morning.

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"I think the seasoned people come Friday; people who do this for a business usually come during the week," he said.

Not only are customers not coming in droves, but Whitehead noticed they seem to value the possessions he likes least.

"I sold a used Elvis wig for a dollar," he said. "People buy the crappiest things."

Mark Meneguzzo, a 39-year-old resident and yard sale veteran on East Saratoga, said he thinks many customers aren't showing up because they are in the mood to cruise, not buy. He said customers also have trouble finding parking, which means they can't necessarily stop when they see the yard sale — or they don't feel like buying anything they have to lug back to their distantly parked car.

"To be honest, this is the slowest business I have had on the busiest day," he said.

The yard-sale people have a number of reasons for setting up shop: Many need to get rid of excess possessions as they are considering moving; some are clearing up space in their increasingly cluttered houses; some need the money; and others just love to meet new people and talk about collectibles.

Meneguzzo said he works two jobs, but they don't pay all his bills. He sells antiques and clothing to help sustain himself.

But he said he genuinely enjoys it. He is an avid record collector and a KISS fanatic and loves talking to others about collectibles and the thrill of getting a good deal.

"I do this more or less to meet people," he said.

Getting rid of stuff, Dream Cruise or not

Like Menguzzo, Scott Davis, 27, who lives on Leroy, has always been around yard sales. As a child, his parents would take him  yard-saling once a month. He wasn't annoyed or bored with the road trips; he enjoyed finding the unexpected. Today, his parents do it for a living. After Davis' father got laid off at an auto dealership, they started selling items they found at yard sales on eBay.

His parents visited Friday to drop off a load of their possessions, as they are moving to Texas. Davis and his parents went to six or seven yard sales in Ferndale, in addition to the sales they found in Royal Oak and Southfield. His mom advised him to sell on the Saturday of the Dream Cruise, and so far, he is satisfied with the $50 worth of his parents' stuff that he has sold.

Davis said he is a little different from his parents. He has inherited their impulse to buy, but he isn't afraid to get rid of things. For him, running a yard sale is as much a part of cleaning his house as using a vacuum cleaner — Dream Cruise or not.

"I just have to get rid of this stuff," he said. "I'll give it away, really."


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