SO without further ado, I present a little history on GARAGE SALES!
The roots of the modern garage sale can be found in the word rummage. “Romage” entered the English language as early as the 16th century. It was a nautical term originally relating to how cargo was packed into the hold of a ship, and then meaning bustle and commotion. Later, in the 18th century, the term would also refer to an exhaustive search. As the word continued to evolve, it came to refer to the great amount of miscellaneous cargo stashed away in the hold of the ship.
It seems that the first actual rummage sales would be held at the docks. Cargo that was unclaimed or damaged would be hauled out of the hold and put up for sale. By the 19th century, this practice was being called a rummage sale, and it would also refer to the sale of damaged or unwanted goods from warehouses or storehouses as well.
By the 1890s, the rummage sale was something that would be held at a communal location such as a park or a church, often for a charitable cause or to raise money for a church. Many people would donate their unused items to be sold off, something that is still common today.
It seems that the first actual rummage sales would be held at the docks. Cargo that was unclaimed or damaged would be hauled out of the hold and put up for sale. By the 19th century, this practice was being called a rummage sale, and it would also refer to the sale of damaged or unwanted goods from warehouses or storehouses as well.
By the 1890s, the rummage sale was something that would be held at a communal location such as a park or a church, often for a charitable cause or to raise money for a church. Many people would donate their unused items to be sold off, something that is still common today.
After World War II, people across North America found themselves with a greater amount of money to buy more and more of the new consumer goods and gadgets that were flooding the market throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s. They were also buying homes complete with easy to access driveways and garages. In the 1970s the garage sale became very popular, as these homes became the perfect staging ground for people to sell their unwanted goods and generate some extra money.
