I'm trying to live a little lighter on the earth, but the truth is, I like shiny new things as much as the next gal. One of my favorite guilt-free shopping treats is Oakland Museum's White Elephant Sale. Fantastic bargains on recycled goods, and all the money goes to the Oakland Museum of California. The volunteers have lovingly organized all 96,000 sq. ft. of the warehouse into 17 different departments, from furniture to clothing to artwork. I have a doctor friend who stocks up each year on crutches (for her patients recovering from knee surgery) and other medical supplies for her clinic. In years past I've scored upholstery fabric for recovering our antique chair (monkeys with umbrellas, for pennies per yard), a retro wooden child's scooter, and some crazy plank of wood with about 32 faces drawn on it--It's cooler than it sounds. Now the hunt is on for a beater bike and some vintage Pyrex mixing bowls to replace our plastic ones, which are at the end of their life.
The preview sale is this Sunday, and the March sale is in a few weeks. Parking is tricky, but the Fruitvale BART station is just a few blocks away, and they run a shuttle on sale days. For more details and donation information, check the WES website.
Preview Sale: Sunday, January 25 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tickets are $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door.
March Sale: Saturday and Sunday, March 7 and 8
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Admission is free
See you there! I'll be the one with the Pyrex bowls and something strange and wonderful from the artwork section.
Upper image from The Shopping Sherpa's photostream on Flickr
Lower image from the Oakland Museum
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