Fried Green Tomatoes

On Saturday, we decided to skip our usual yard sale routine, and attend a porch sale and auction in downtown Juliette, GA, about 45 minutes north of our home.  Juliette was the setting for the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, staring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Mary-Louise Parker.

 I looked up the movie on Wikipedia, and read that Juliette was chosen because it was “nearly deserted,” and an antique/hardware store was converted to the Whistle Stop Café for the film.  Today, the Whistle Stop Café is an actual café, but the rest of the town, really only a small street, is basically a tourist attraction that still attracts visitors even though the movie debuted in 1991.
 

Ella, Duc, and I arrived early, as we usually do for sales, around 7:30, to find the street deserted.  Gradually, though, merchants opened their shops, and brought out wares to their porches.  At one sale, Ella found two large, sturdy metal stands for our antique booth, spending a whopping $4.  At the same place, I found a box of 20 or so blank wooden signs, with hanging chains already attached, which I  purchased for the bargain basement price of $10.  

We plan to have a display wall at our antique booth featuring Duc’s artistry on the signs.
 

We then decided to preview what was to be auctioned.  It was the contents of one of the street’s antique stores, and featured everything from old milk cans to vintage newspapers to handcrafted wooden furniture.  By 10 a.m., a small but spirited crowd had gathered at the Juliette “Opry” outside stage, and the bidding began.

The auctioneer and his son kept the crowd entertained all day

With no reserve, prices on most items stayed low, and we picked up some fun things for our booth. The only drawback was that there were so many items, and after breaking for lunch, the auction was still going strong at 2 p.m.  I had to practically drag Ella out, but she was determined to buy a piece of the cool furniture that had not been brought up for auction yet.  I went back into the shop, and met the artist behind the furniture.  Since the furniture would have a reserve once it was brought out, I bargained with the artist, and purchased a lamp and a bench (Ella’s favorites), hoping that it would actually fit in the truck.  Fortunately, it did, but I don’t think we could have squeezed anything else in.
 

With the truck full, Ella happy, and Duc starving, we headed toward home, stopping only to eat at a Chinese buffet to reward Duc not only for his help, but also for his patience.  He was so bored.
 

After eating, we unloaded the truck, left Duc sleeping on the couch, and headed to the local auction in Byron, hoping our hot streak would continue.  

Unfortunately, it came to a screeching halt because the local auction was dead in the water really before it even began.  Only a few people were there, and they were trying to sell the same stuff from the week prior.   After 45 minutes, and only one sale, they called a halt to the train wreck.
 

As we process our purchases from the Juliette auction, I will post some pictures.  I think we got some cool stuff for our shelves.
 

On Sunday, I packed my weekend’s sales (Amazon was hot … $250+ in two days), and listed a few items on Ebay, something I had been neglecting in favor of getting the booth up and running.
 

Looking ahead, I think we have enough inventory to last a while, but Ella wants to go to a consignment sale on Tuesday night.  Consignment sales aren't my favorite, but Ella seems to have good luck.

Have a great week everyone.