stoop sale mania

stoop2 /stup/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stoop] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation,
–noun
a small raised platform, approached by steps and sometimes having a roof and seats, at the entrance of a house; a small porch.
[Origin: 1670–80, Americanism; <>step]

It seems that everyone has collectively decided to hold a stoop sale in my neighborhood today. The basic concept behind a stoop sale is that of a yard sale ... only, because this is a city, there aren't many yards -- but there are plenty of stoops.

Usually these urbanized version of yard sales happen on sidewalks. (I have no idea why they aren't called sidewalk sales instead of stoop sales.) Clothes are hung up on fence posts, tables are stacked with cooking supplies, and cardboard boxes are stuffed full of CDs and old VHS cassette tapes. It's quite fun to be walking along and suddenly have your eye be caught by a scratched up wooden gnome ornament or a table full of glass vases.

I walked past four such stoop sales this afternoon. Most were being held by people who were moving and wanted to get rid of their accumulated stuff over the years. One of the sales was a family looking to unload their kid's outgrown "junk" and yet another was being held by a group of roommates who wanted to earn some quick cash.

All were festive affairs. Yuppie mothers clad in khaki shorts and old, tired day laborers mingled together in picking over the discarded but well loved items of other people. Hands were brushing over everything, from record sleeves to knick knacks only a grandmother could love.

I was very tempted to purchase a large piece of pottery that would look very nice in my kitchen. It was a lovely piece, cast in browns and blues. There were a few cracks on the bottom and a chip on one of the sides was a bit obvious, but over all it was a lovely piece. Selling price? $2. I opted not to get it by rationalizing that I probably had no place for it. Someone will enjoy owning it, though.

I did end up one CD and one book richer (and $2 poorer). My old copy of Nine Inch Nails's Pretty Hate Machine had vanished from my CD collection sometime during my sophomore year of college. I got a $1 replacement of it today. I also picked up a copy of 'The Island' by Huxley. I read the first two chapters under a canopy of sunshine at the park, and thus far my $1 literary investment seems like a pretty good deal.

That's one of the wonderful things about this city ... you can always find something worthwhile to take home. Worthwhile and cheap, and maybe even free. The local bookstore has a bin they leave outside everyday full of books they are simply giving away. Most are novels that never quite made it, or not so memorable items such as the '1963 World Almanac', but it's fun to rummage around and sometimes find a treasure in the midst of junk.

Which reminds me of my single most favorite purchase ever in New York City. It was at the Stand Bookstore, that infamous mecca of literature. They had racks upon racks of $1 books outside of their store, and I found a copy of a 1963 book for children on the Soviet Union. It is a complete gem. Communism is presented in all her glory, black and white photographs dot the pages, and life in the various parts of the old S.U. are written about. Buying that book was the best way I have ever spent $1.

At any rate, happy Cinco de Mayo ... I have no idea what the holiday is about, but I do know that it involves Mexican food and beer. I am going to go take a nap (it's hot out!), eat, and then go out with a friend to some of the finer establishments in my neighborhood to celebrate this beautiful weather and the holiday I know nothing about.