So I was in Columbus Thursday through Saturday for a nerd conference. The first night we were there, two friends from work and I went to the art museum downtown and on our way back to our hotel, I spotted this sign: 

Needless to say, I was filled with glee. First, I hadn’t expected to be able to do any treasure hunting while I was out of town, but this was just a few blocks from my hotel, so it was totally feasible. Second, that sign makes the sale look pretty awesome. Doesn’t it? 

So Saturday came around, and when I had a few moments to escape, I walked down to the church where the sale appeared to be being held. Now, this sale was going on at the same time as the Columbus Marathon, so traffic around the area was crazy, but there were only a handful of cars parked in the church parking lot. For a minute, I got scared that the sale had been postponed because of the race. To make matters worse, I couldn’t seem to find any indication of where I should enter the church–no signs or directions of any sort besides the sign above, which was pretty far from any entrance to the building. I finally walked around the side of the church and saw a small sign on a door that said, “Rummage Sale, downstairs and to the left." 

I got inside and very quickly realized that this sale was not going to exceed or even meet my expectations. There were about 10 old women and men there to "run” the tiny sale, and my heart immediately hurt. The first thing I saw was a table full of 1970s cookbooks for individuals with diabetes. From there, it just got worse. (I know what you’re thinking–how is that even possible?)

For example, I could have walked away with this treasure… 

…which actually could have been featured in a Hard to Resist post of its own. 

One question: WHAT IS THAT? 

Or, I could have walked out with this great find: 

Yep, that’s a jean-donning crotch-shaped planter. 

Or, finally, I could have selected from a wide variety of walkers: 

They also had a nice selection of folding canes. 

Anyway, as it turns out, I left with three items for a total of $4. A handmade shoulder/messenger bag (not pictured), and then these two items, which may or may not sell on eBay: 

I thought about keeping the pepper lights but… it’s really not necessary. 

-Sarah