Yard-sale shoppers see 100 miles of fun

To local Jackson homeowner Cindy Looman, the 100-Mile Yard Sale acts as her annual social event.

Looman stays up until 1 a.m. and wakes up at 5 a.m. from Thursday to Monday in preparation for the swarms of visitors she receives every year at the sale, which begins Thursday morning and runs through Monday night of Memorial Day weekend.

Vendors are offering yard sales all day along Highway 25 between Jackson and Kennett, Missouri, as part of the 16th annual Memorial Day event.

Looman's Jackson neighborhood was packed to the highway Saturday. Homemade signs dotted the sides of roads, and people holding a variety of objects walked to and from their cars.

Looman's yard was decorated with tables of clothes, cookbooks, toys and four large gumball machines that sat in the driveway. Behind the cash box, she sat surrounded by friends and family, observing this year's sales.

Yard sale vendor Jackie Wagoner of Blodgett, Mo. escapes the heat from the sun from under her umbrella, Saturday, May 24, 2014, during the 100-mile yard sale in Blomeyer, Mo. (Laura Simon)

Looman is a veteran "yard saler," having been part of the event for the past nine years. She has loyal customers who return to her yard at least once every sale.

"I have regulars now. They come every year. That's why we call it our annual social event," she said.

Looman attributes her success to her higher standards for items.

"I always tell [customers], my policy is nothing can be broken, I don't want holes and stains, and the pieces all need to be there," she said. "And don't overprice your stuff, and don't come in here with the mindset of, 'I'm not coming down. I'm not working with people. I want this price for this.' I'm big on being out there with people and talking to people"

Looman said last year, her sale was so successful her family was able to take a vacation and drive up the East Coast to New York after the weekend.

Vicki Peters, left, and Jamie Evans purchase jewelry from vendor Star Anglin, right, Saturday, May 24, 2014, during the 100-mile yard sale in Blomeyer, Mo. (Laura Simon)

Looman, her husband, their five children and the family's friends all work the sale. This comes in handy when they have problems with theft, she said.

"We had some thievery yesterday, so I had the idea to put name tags on us, so they're kind of like badges," Looman said. "Everybody has one. We have 10 to 15 people, so now people see, 'Oh, there are 10 to 15 sets of eyes out there,' so we don't have it as much when we have our badges."

Looman and a friend said Friday seemed a little slower than last year, but Saturday had about the same numbers.

This year is a first for shopper Kim Williams. She moved to the Jackson area three years ago and on Saturday was on the hunt for baby clothes for her grandchildren.

"I never know what I'm going to find. It always just kind of leads to, 'Oh, I need that,'" she said.

Williams began shopping Thursday, took a break Friday and continued to shop Saturday for more items. She likes how close the sales are to one another.

"It's a lot easier to go from one to the other when they're all in one place than driving a mile and going to just one," she said.

Williams said she visited maybe 50 sales within the two days, but she laughed at the thought of attempting to conquer the entire 100 miles.

Looman, however, said many of her customers achieved that goal. She said they stay at the campground with their trailers, and come Monday, they roll into her neighborhood, ready to buy.

Tara Perry and her extended family have hosted a sale the past four years.

"It's a family affair," she said. "We've got seven different families in our group; then there's two other families set up in different areas in the yard."

She said the sale had been going well this year, although she thought sales were a little slower than last year. Perry said her family has talked to visitors from Arkansas; Columbia, Missouri; and even Minnesota who have come to attend the yard sales.

"I just think it's interesting to see what everyone else is bringing, because we always shop each other's stuff -- you know, watching the people who shop with you, finding out where they come from. That's kind of interesting," Perry said. "What keeps us doing it every year I really couldn't tell you, because by the end of the week, we're like, 'Why did we do this?'"

Williams describes her newfound love of the 100 Mile Yard Sale as an addiction.

"I think I'm kind of like a gambler. I can't stop. I keep thinking I'm going to find something better at the next stop. You keep thinking something's going to jump out at you that you're going to get really cheap," she said. "It's been pretty fun. It's beautiful weather. You can't beat this weather, and it beats sitting at home."

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smaue@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

Highway 25 from Jackson to Kennett