Estate Sale, Wood Dale

Been a solid minute since I hit up an estate sale.  I got a tip from a coworker that there was not only one down the street, but that they also had records! I was swamped at work and didn't think I could get away when I decided - you only live once! So I dropped everything and sped over on my bike.

The best part was that I just had gotten my new GoPro camera about an hour before.  So I took it with and even wore it inside! The bad news is that someone came through and scooped all the vinyl a half an hour before I got there! Damn!

                                           

Estate Sale, Bensenville

I believe this is something called 'work life balance' that entails not working yourself until your mental and physical health suffers, not attempting to do the work of more than one person, working off hours voluntarily, etc... I think this is part of a science fiction novel or something because it is laughable to think I could incorporate this into my life.  But on a Friday, I just sped away from the shop for a while and hit up an estate sale with the promise of vinyl, on a warm summer morning just a few miles from the shop.

Estate sales always kind of bug me out, I don't have a problem digging through someone's personal possessions when they have decided to share them for their own profit, but when it is someone else's possessions being sold because they are dead, it is a bit morally questionable I feel, for me to profit off of their death.  Not profiting in terms of money of course, but by my own personal gain.  Then again, I suppose these events earn money for the family to defer the costs of burial and what have you.

I have lived and worked in the area my whole life more or less and while I felt I had a firm grasp of the boundaries of Bensenville, I was shocked to find this small pocket off of 83 which felt very much like a rural area from another state.  The roads were very narrow, especially so for my large truck and of course it was garbage day.  So I was challenged by even more mammoth vehicles.  At one point I watched one just reverse down a long and winding side street as it was a dead end and there were no possible way for a tank that large to spin around.

                                       

                       

In a very cluttered basement with just enough room to maneuver down the stairs, I came across a 16-cube bookshelf which had about 4 1/2 cubes filled with records.  I also located an old wooden crate on the floor.  The crate was loaded with filler of the worst kind; the bookshelf initially did not prove to be at all superior.  But soon after I did start to dig up some country.  I gasped audibly when I located the alternate cover to Roger Miller's debut.  I have never seen one in the wild and I was even happier to see it was the mono version.  Shortly after that I found two copies of Dwight Yoakum's second album AND a copy of his first.  I already own the debut but I was very tempted to buy it again as I so rarely see it.  I did eventually return it to it's bin but I did not walk away from the follow up.  Most regrettably, I also did a catch-and-release on the Del Fuegos debut, a band I know almost nothing about except for the mention in a song of my teenage years, some 90s alternative gold.  But as I walked away with two new vinyls and a Pyrex for my girl, I couldn't help but to be satisfied.  They weren't going to give me a receipt (they kept them for their records) so I had to ask the cashier to let me take a photo.  They indulged me, thankfully.

Estate Sale, Northlake

I woke up Saturday morning and checked gsalr.com for vinyl.  I was first dead set on checking out a sale in Villa Park but I noticed that it had been open since Thursday.  Garage sales on Thursdays should be illegal.  Don't people have to work? So I started thinking that the vinyl would be pretty picked through (assuming there was anything decent).  Still, I would have went but then I noticed this one, about the same distance and as I was up early enough, I knew I could be one of the first customers.

Google Maps took me on a real jaunt through an industrial area, I had to stop many times to find my way.  I also stopped to try and help another stranger chase a stray dog.  We watched it almost get run over a couple times before it went through a hole in a fence and was gone.  I hope it is ok.

When I finally pulled up, I glanced through the boxes of junk.  This was an estate sale literally, meaning someone was trying to unload the possessions of someone who died.  But the goods were brought outside, as it looked like the person (the daughter, her parents were dead) lived there.  So I looked around but saw no vinyl and started to feel that old sense of being downtrodden.  Why do I do this? Why?

But before the depression really did me in, I asked if she had any vinyl.  She said 'Oh yeah' as if to allude I might be about to stumble on a library of vinyl.  They were in the garage which was closed, she grabbed her remote opener and popped it open.  There were two big stacks on the floor.

Stacks like this are truly innavigable so I started breaking them into smaller heaps and standing them up.  I was sweating pretty badly so I tossed off my bag and really got down into it.  I came out of there with pretty dirty knees but of course it was worth it.  My biggest score by far is the mono 'Beard' version of Monkees HQ.  I now have the mono and stereo versions of both the 'beard' version and the regular rear jacket.  It took me a couple years at least, I can't imagine how many copies I have had to check in the hopes it was the fourth one I needed (you can see one from one of my recent posts, right up front).

I grabbed three additional.  First was an album by The Byrds that was in such good shape that I could not resist it, even though it seems devoid of any of the pop hits they are known for (I surely do not know any of their deep cuts).  The same exact applies to another by Paul Revere, just couldn't bear to leave it behind.  Both are mono versions.  I also grabbed a Donovan album for my girl that I kind of wish I had kept for myself.

The lady let me just make an offer and didn't even look to see what I had.  Before I could make my wager however, she wanted to point out that she had bought the Paul Revere record herself, as a young girl, with her mother.  This was at the Goldblatt's at Grand and Harlem, just a couple miles from my neighborhood.  She said that she had wanted a Beatles record (perhaps Revolver?) but her mother wouldn't let her have it.  I commented that at least the Paul Revere record is British, so you have that similarity.  I offered her $8 and she accepted and I began my ride home, this time navigating myself.  A wonderful bike ride on a beautiful morning to fetch some nice records from nice people.  No complaints here.

                    

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Shook my hangover and headed out to greet the day Sunday morning. gsalr.com had only two sales anywhere in the area with records and they were in opposite directions.  Not being ambitious enough to try and hit both, I chose one on the north side and headed out around 10am.

Just a bunch of the usual suspects (Mantovani, etc) save one disco record I almost scooped. 

On the way over, I had seen some signs for an estate sale around Foster and Harlem.  I headed back first to the grocery store at that same intersection.  I ate a chicken salad sandwich and drank a bottle of watermelon/pineapple juice under the shade of a tree.  I thought about the awesome flea market at this same intersection on a very hot day long ago.  Then I found that sign and headed up to the estate sale.

Of course I had no idea if there would be any records at all but alas there were.  Exclusively symphonic/classical stuff - no interest at all.  I leafed through it all anyway and glanced at the other wares then headed out.

At this point I started to head home and when I got to Lawrence Ave I was stricken with inspiration and decided to jaunt all the way over to the other garage sale with records.  I knew it was at least 10 miles away but it was still early and wasn't very hot.  So off I went.

I don't know if '100s' of records was quite accurate and anyway most were really old 78s without any jackets at all.  The LPs were junk too besides one I grabbed for my girlfriend, or myself if she had it (I wasn't sure at the time; she does not have it I have since confirmed so her's it is).  I continued my trek through some really bad roads (potholes) and bad neighboorhoods (Maywood) as I took the Prarie Path back to 1st Ave for my journey home.  Been having some trouble with my GPS logging app so I was only able to successfully log the trip above (10 miles) but I estimate I did over 20.  And when I got home I rested for a moment, then switched bikes and headed out to grab groceries so I could cook/eat/cook/eat/repeat then nap.  An intense morning and a Sunday well spent!

Garage Sale, Elmwood Park

gsalr.com said 'moving sale' so I was thinking garage sale.  I rolled up and found the address...no signs, no action, nothing.  I was creeping in the driveway and checking my phone to be sure I was at the right place when I saw someone approaching.  I asked it this was 'the place' and he invited me in.  I thought maybe it was his house, but it wasn't...just another fella in search of the goods...

I got inside to find this was an estate sale.  These things always depress me.  I did my best to get in and out...I was led into a back bedroom where I found a nice heap of vinyl stuffed in a lower cabinet below a stereo and turntable (considered making an offer on the turntable).

I found a copy of the Mothers debut which made no sense since the rest of the collection was largely Greek Orthadox religious recordings and other junk.  I would have grabbed it but it was missing one of the two albums.  I also found a copy of the Turtles greatest hits which was also a bit out of place.  In the end I grabbed a weird comp as a consolation prize and headed to Nottoli for a sub and then a nap.

Estate Sale, Norwood Park

I unsubscribed from gsalr.com alerts last fall, and today one one of the first days of 'spring' (not sure if the season has officially changed or not) that I was able to get a good bike ride in.  I went to work for a couple hours then had breakfast with a co-workers.  I brought my bike along and rode home the ~6 miles from the restaurant when I came across a sign.  I slammed on the brakes and followed the arrows to my destination, with the hopes there would be a grimy stack of vinyl in there somewhere.

There was - unbelievably, it doesn't look like there are any other estate/garage sales in Chicago today (not that there are that many, this time of year) that have any records on gsalr so I really got lucky.  I was not so lucky in that I could not find anything of interest, but a couple pics and another blog post is enough for me.

I added the top LP in the stack to discogs when I got back....I rifled through the 45s for a minute then gave up.  Hopefully this kind of luck is a sign of things to come as the weather improves and more and more garage sales pop up.

Estate Sale, Norridge

Caught wind of this Friday/Saturday estate sale at 6:20am Thursday morning - when I read my emails as soon as my alarm sounds.  Knew I wouldn't be able to make it on Friday but planned to get there first thing at 9am on Saturday.

Took things way too far Friday night and woke up with a murderous hangover.  Eventually shook it enough to tough out the 4 mile bike ride.  I encountered the vinyl about 10' inside the front door.  A solid collection of about 40 records with plenty of interesting platters to choose from.

I walked away with four (for $4!) which is a hell of a haul for a garage sale/estate sale/thrift store.  I think the entire Johnny Mathis discography was in there, possibly duplicated even.  Plenty of Jack Jones as well...but lots of other good, smooth, immortal easy listening music.

1. Sergio Mendes And Brasil '77* - Love Music - minus live albums, I have 5 of 9 LPs at this point.  Not to mention my other stash of Sergio solo, Brasil 65/66, etc.... the list goes on and on.  Enjoyed this album right off the bat, put it on casually in the background as I whipped up some dinner.  Sounds so much like Fool on the Hill, vocally (as it should).  And best part of all? THEY AREN'T WEARING BRAS.

2. José Feliciano - Feliciano! - Don't even know where to begin with this one.  I am infatuated currently with Mr. Feliciano.  Everyone knows 'Light My Fire' but when you see how much it is NOT a novelty by listening to the rest of the album, its a revelation.  What a singer....its just addicting.  My copy is 'well loved' to say the least but plays just fine.  Been consuming all kinds of Jose youtube vids and anything else I can read or find.  Best random score in a long time.

3. Claudine Longet - The Look Of Love and Claudine- My girlfriend got me one of her later albums after she left A&M a while back.  I had been interested in checking out her material for a while as she is such a big part of the 60s A&M roster.  I never even put on the LP I had been gifted, then I found this one (and below) so I grabbed 'em both.  Well I've checked em out, and I think there is potential for it to grow on me but man is that voice high pitched! So it is a bit grating.  But the quiet arrangements are pleasant and there is redeeming quality there even if it is for historic reasons primarily.

RG estate sale

Spur of the moment estate sale Sunday AM yielded a Little River Band album and an Engelbert Christmas album which my girlfriend grabbed up moments before I could stick my mitts into the stack.

Can't believe I found this just a few doors away! 

Best. Day. Ever.

I recently discovered gsalr.com which is a website that consolidates info on yard/garage/rummage/etc sales.  These are always prime targets for old vinyl but now you can not only find them with a few clicks, I get daily emails that list all the sales within 20 miles of my home and even highlight the word 'records' in the descriptions of the listings.  I only discovered this awesome free service last week and by Friday I had two local sales lined up that had records in store.  I went out Friday night and had a really wild time, I knew I'd be in rough shape in the morning but there was no rush as neither sale opened until 9am and they were both pretty close.

I (think I) went to bed about 12:30, I woke up at about 7am feeling pretty rough around the edges and possibly still intoxicated.  As I do every morning, I reached behind my head for my tablet to check my email.  I had a new daily digest from gsalr.com so I quickly scanned through it.  I nearly lurched out of bed and onto the floor when I saw this: (red box added for dramatic emphasis)

Clicking the link took me to the site where I saw the full description:

Huge yard sale. Saturday May 10 One Day Only! 8:00-4:00 or whenever. 
WE ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS!!!
Have thousands of LP records including funk, soul, jazz, & blues. Most are promos including white labels. Also have a ton of 78's & 1000's of CD's!! CD's are all genre's. Come early for the best stuff. If there are any dealers, we are of course looking to sell the whole lot. 

There was less than an hour until they opened and I could not think straight.  The sale was all the way west in Villa Park.  How they hell could I get there on a bike? I knew a Metra line went that way - I'd have to bike a few miles to Melrose Park or Maywood to get to that line, no big deal.  Checked the schedule - the next train was 11am.  That wouldn't work at all!

I then started checking the Pace bus routes.  The North Ave. bus stops at Wolf - nowhere near close enough.  Then I discovered the St. Charles Road bus actually originates on Lake Street as far east as I am.  I jumped to the departure predictions and saw one was due at 5th Ave. in about 35 minutes.  It was a 3.5 mile ride.  I did the math and threw my clothes on (still scattered on my living room couch from the previous evenings blackout), brushed my teeth and grabbed my bike.

I've ridden drunk before (obviously) and in all kinds of bad conditions, internal and external.  But I don't know that I've ever done a ride quite this hungover, though again I am not certain that is the most accurate way to describe my condition.  Worse yet, I knew I had to keep a decent pace to get there in time.  My mind kind of just shut down and I dug in.  Traffic was light and it was positively beautiful outside.  Before long I got down to Lake Street as most of its residents still slept.  I gagged and laughed a bit thinking that I might vomit right there on the curbside but I controlled myself.  Before long my bus arrived (right on time); I put my bike on the rack and got on board.  Next stop: Route 83.

It was just about a mile ride from St. Charles/83 - I saw some signs along the way and bristled with delight at each one.                          

Just around the corner, I came upon the motherlode.  A driveway filled with cardboard boxes.  My condition had not improved but suddenly I was numb to it - time to get involved with some vinyl!

As promised, the only genres represented were jazz, funk/soul and disco.  I dove into the 5-6 boxes of jazz and got to work.  Each jacket had a price tag that also listed a peculiar moniker.  Vinyl Monkey? This sounded familiar - in fact, I could see the releases at home I already owned with these stickers.  But I couldn't place the store, or the place....I knew I had never been to a store with that name.  What did all this mean?

                               

I turned and looked at the proprietors. We got to talking - their first remark was 'I knew we recognized you'.  It was the CHIRP Record Fair! Their faces came into the focus of my mind's eye and I even remembered the releases I grabbed from them -- specifically two rare CTI 3000 series promo copies.  No shock that I found another, albeit one which I already own in this case (the standard issue, that is).  I also scooped up a slightly beat down copy of 'Mister Magic' for only $3.  And like their generosity at the fair, they called it even on the $10 for 'Road Song' and I got that record for nothing.  In the meantime they had some trouble with their credit card equipment so I volunteered to spin on over to get some cash, at which point I also scarfed a chicken salad sandwich and a bottle of OJ.  Power meter status: 62% and rising.

With our transactions squared away, I headed out unsure of where to go next or how to get there.  I checked the Metra schedule which at this point was equally as inconvienent or worse.  I considered the bus briefly then decided to hell with it - I had seen the Prarie Path bike trail on my jaunt to the gas station ATM so I headed back to it.  I reviewed the map on a sign and got my sense of direction, then headed out.

About 7 miles later the path ended.  I tried to follow the signs to get back on it but gave up once I got my bearings I saw where I was - around Manheim and Lake Street.  I determined that surface streets would do it for me now and then remembered the two other garage sales I had planned to visit all along.  I checked the map and chuckled when I saw that the first of the two lie dead in my path - just off of Manheim/Fullerton.  I stopped at that intersection for my fuel - an energy bar and a bottle of water, with plans for big eats soon.  With probably 12 miles under my belt now I marveled at how bad I felt in the earlier AM and that I had recovered enough to make it this far.  I trudged on.

The first garage sale wasn't a garage sale at all - it was an estate sale.  I let myself inside and was greeted by a smiling face who led me to a back bedroom.  She had neatly organized them by genre, with a separate long box full of 45s.  I scanned through the LPs and glanced at the 7"s....walked away with Blood, Sweat and Tears eponymous second album which contains almost all of their hits (or at least my favorites) save for a couple of Kooper tracks on the debut.  When I was a kid, my dad got me a 'split' cassette from this group and Chicago.  In fact - here it is! (I can't believe I found this).

I listened to that thing so many times, it was just mindless.  It was like I was programming a computer (myself) by rote, repeated exposure.  That isn't to say I didn't like it, I did.  But it was just about my first real music experience in life, it was so special to me (still is) that I just couldn't get over it.  The only song that tape is missing is 'God Bless the Child' which I have been cranking LOUDLY since I brought the platter home yesterday.

Departing from the estate sale I got back onto the bike and for the first time began to think about food and sleep, and not records.  But my final stop wasn't terribly out of the way so onward I rode.  I rode east on Schiller Blvd. and took heart in the fact that I was at least riding in a direction directly toward my bed.

I came upon a marvelously clean garage in which sat two smiling and just wonderful people who's names I do not know, and whom I will unfortunately never see again.  What took place in their garage - and their home - was only evidence of the fact that human nature is not just war and death; that if you put forth effort to network in your chosen hobby/obsession you will indeed benefit; and that good people exist who will actually open their home to a stranger.  After my already excellent Saturday morning, I can quite sarcastically say that I did not deserve this extended good fortune.

I greeted them and asked if they had records - they pointed to a small bin at their feet.  This was 20 records maximum so I was a little disappointed but I was eager to get home at this point, so I knelt down to do the deed and move on.  Toward the back of the bin I found an absolutely excellent album I have really enjoyed since I got it home - and one who's value exceeds the single dollar I paid for it.  But that was not all.

They inquired if I was a record collector.  I responded that this is exactly what brought me to their home.  Silently, they looked at each other (sharing their judgement of my character via the type of telepathy that only comes from years of marriage) and they said they had 'lots' more records inside, and I was welcome to look.  The thought of additional records to view was exciting, but the idea of wandering around in people's homes is far more so.

                          

Down into the basement we went.  We chatted as I searched in a dimly lit corner through a shelf with probably 75 records or more.  Came up with an Epic era Engelbert record as well as a CTI 6000 series gem from George Benson - both in staggeringly good condition to boot.  The charge? $1 a piece.  These people were so nice and their home so clean and orderly (and the garage) I wanted to ask them if I could just hang out.  Such good people.

Still not done - I rode in the opposite direction and spent $18 at a deli for a copious amount of foods consumed on site and packed into my bag for later.  15 miles - 3 distinct spots - 6 records.  Best weather so far this year, and all done spur of the moment on a morning when I had every excuse to lie in bed.

Forest Park estate sale

Got a tip from Kelly at Knick Knack and swung through on a Saturday afternoon.

Walked away with the last Herb Alpert record I needed and another 5th Dimension release!  Also got the haps on a giant estate sale in May with 2500 records over in....yeah right! Like I'm telling you!

And I also stole this awesome 45 adapter (made in Chicago!).  I struggled to get it out of the 7" it was stuck in and it cracked during removal.  Oops!