Mercadillos: Tag Sales, Yard Sales, Second Hand, Garage Sales…Finally
Posted by By Gwen at 7 June, at 02 : 10 AM Print
The Anglosaxon communities have a long tradition in thrift, in second hand shops and in garage sales. But these have long been anathema to the Spanish way of perceiving purchase. For Spaniards, perhaps it seemed a sign of poverty and therefore shameful to purchase clothes or goods second hand, to be seen rummaging through someone else’s garage or home before a move looking for a great deal on a (heaven forbid!) used item. The only exception, at least in Madrid, has always been the Rastro, the Sunday morning second hand sale par excellence, ostensibly for antique furniture, but where you can also purchase caged canaries, hippy clothes, silver jewelry, bags, shoes. Now the financial crisis and good sense seem to have set in. And not only are those of us living in Spain looking for a better deal, but we’re looking to unload all of our dusty unused but perfectly usable goods–like a turtle aquarium that still sits in our garage, like all the CDs that we no longer listen to.
A new blog has be created that helps you to locate all over Spain the “mercadillos” where you can buy and sell, whether they be street fairs or someone’s garage, maybe even online. Also included are pop up shops, outlets, and themed events. The site is definitely worth a gander and I’m looking forward to unloading that aquarium and maybe finding an unusual book. Click on the name: “Mercadillos & More”. May you find that special something, at a great price.
