City-Wide Garage Sale

NOT a garage sale. Besides the obvious fact this is not in a garage, nothing about this resembles a garage sale. I did, however, park in a garage which was $ 8 (What a joke). In a real garage sale/​yard sale you have some chance of finding something far cheaper than its actual value. That is not the case here.
I should’ve known what I was getting into, but I thought I would give it a chance. $ 14 dollars to get in (including parking, would be $ 18 if you get there early), which would be reasonable if this was an actual city wide garage sale. All this is, is a collection of vendors who obviously know what they have and sell their stuff higher than what you could find online. Don’t get me wrong, Im sure most of the vendors are just honest people trying to make a buck, but if you’re looking for an authentic garage sale, you’ll have to stick to the old fashioned method of driving around.
Hopefully theres not another gas shortage ;)
Edit: After reading other reviews, I am not surprised to see that others have written about the misleading title of City Wide Garage Sale. They really should change the name. I basically wasted $ 14 on top of my time.

Been here twice, best way to describe it is a large antique mall. It is all dealers that ask antique mall prices it seems. Both times I have been here 3 months separation in time, it was same dealers with same stuff.
Positive:
–Glad to see organized swapmeet event in clean environment
Negatives:
–parking is $ 8/​early bird $ 10: $ 18 deep before walking in the door
–it’s not locals selling garage sale stuff, it’s dealers asking dealers prices
–small compared to Major swapmeet events
Conclusion: nice to stroll around but overpriced to get in /​to park and needs new blood for new items

Nasty & Over-​priced! First off you have to pay $ 6 to get in plus $ 8 for parking. Total rip off. Everything was musty and dirty. This should really be called Vintage and other Old Crap Sale instead of City Wide Garage Sale. I guess if you are a vintage collector this might be the place for you. I was just expecting a little more quality of items. Most stuff I saw was just trash. But if you like to people watch this is the place for you! There are some major freaks walking around!

Today was my first visit to the Citywide Garage Sale, & I went in hopes of finding unique gifts for Christmas. Almost everything is vintage/​antique, but the title — Garage Sale — would imply garage sale prices… at least, that’s what I expected. I was quite surprised to find that nearly everything that caught my eye was OUTRAGEOUSLY priced! And while it’s appropriate to haggle over the listed prices, I found that the vendors I spoke with were unwilling to come down. With all of that said, I do plan to return as I’m sure there will be new vendors with different things to check out.

I attempted going to other CWGS events, and even in Bastrop, its the exact same stuff.

That was a lot of fun. Kind of funny that you have to pay to shop, but if you can look past that there are some truly unique items to be had and no matter what your interest is, if you are the kind of person that wants to go to something like this, you’ll find something you want.
Bottom line: Interesting crowd, unique stores, items in a wide variety of conditions… I’ll be going back again.

This was fun! I didn’t buy anything, I would have, but some bitch took my quilt out of my hands… I thought about throwing down with her, but I let it go. Digging through junk was very relaxing and great way to spend my Saturday. I also had fun people watching. There are people who actually wear all that crap they sell at garage sales. Some can pull it off, most cannot. I would definitely go earlier so I get first dibs at the quilt section. Next time I will not back off so quickly.

They’d get 5 stars if you didn’t have to drop part of your budget just to get in the door. I reckon the event has to make some money too, but $ 7 for parking seems a bit much. Then you get to pay again to get inside.
But when you’re in, it’s open season. Typically you find a better quality of stuff here, especially these days. Long ago, it was more of a garage sale style crap shoot.

Would be cool if it wasn’t so much money to get in. By the time I pay for parking and admission I’ve blown any chance I could have had for a bargain. The venders are very nice and it’s a shame that they are shackled by the format. You would think that it would be beneficial for the city of Austin to publicly sponsor a permanent venue for a event like this. I think it would be huge, locals and tourist would flock spend money and have loads of fun.

Really dig this event. Totally worth the couple of bucks for admission. I suggest getting here early to beat the crowd then heading over to Austin Java for brunch!
Let’s see… in all of my years shopping at CWGS I have snagged: a beautiful pair of «feather» earrings made out of abalone with antique silver hooks, funky, vintage dresses (all for cheap!), an old school globe on a wooden post for $ 20 (includes the USSR), tons of collectible records, old toys that take you back to your childhood (or maybe even your grandparent’s childhood) clever t-​shirts, vintage kitchen aprons, amongst other treasures.
Take cash! And bargain :)

I almost don’t want anyone else to know about this spectacular event! We were in Austin, to buy items of vintage décor, and we did not know what to expect from this place. We balked at the $ 7 parking, but I would now pay way more to park here! Merciful heavens, we walked into a vintage collectors paradise! The vendors were neatly arranged, and there was so much to choose from, we really had to make decisions based on how much we could fit into our large HHR. Serious bargains, and each vendor was so nice, and willing to haggle. We came away with so many amazing pieces… vintage store displays, signs, the coolest mirror in the universe, fab paint by numbers, for our major collection, and too many other treasures to list. We came back the next day, and bought tons more. This is the real deal, if you’re into vintage. The best!!!

What I like about Citywide…
–Massive selection from dealers statewide (and occasionally) nationwide. On average, it takes me around 2 – 3 hours to make it through every dealer!
–An eclectic mix of stuff. I’ve seen some amazing items here over the years from old railroad blueprints to a captured WWII Japanese infantry regiment flag.
–Held on a fairly regular basis. Usually about once every one to two months.
What I don’t like about Citywide…
–The parking situation. Parking in the attached garage is around $ 7 and there really isn’t any other option. (Parking in the nearby Bouldin Creek neighborhood requires a residential parking permit.)
–Not enough new vendors for every show. If you go to enough of the Citywide sales, you’ll start to notice a lot of the same vendors from before, in the same booths as before, selling most of the same stuff as before.
–Prices. Unless you’re just extremely lucky, you’re probably not going to find any incredible garage-​sale bargains here.
So, can it be expensive? Yes. But what the Citywide Garage Sale lacks in affordability, it makes up for it in selection and oddities you’ll not find elsewhere.

I have been going to the Citywide Garage Sale since 2004. I used to go all the time when parking in the garage was free, but in recent years they’ve changed that to where the free lot is at One Texas Center and you’ll be needing to pay to get in the garage. They also used to have free admission coupons in the Onion, but now you’re lucky to get $ 1 off if you’re signed up for their email list.
But moving on from those recent changes, the staff has always been helpful and friendly. You can still go on Saturday and get your hand stamped to come Sunday if you’d like.
The vendors are definitely worthwhile to look at. You’ll find a wide variety of people selling junk– err… treasures for much more than they’re worth sometimes. However, you can get really lucky if you find just the right thing. There’s everything from jewelry to Victorian furniture to vintage comic books and advertisements. You’ll find people there trying to make a quick buck to people pre-​maturely selling off their estates.
The best time to cut a deal in most places is in the final 2 hours of the weekend on Sunday. Typically, the vendors don’t want to load and bring home the stuff they came in with– and are better at cutting a deal during that time frame.
If you’re an antique shopper like myself, you’ll love this kinda-​once-​a-​month event. There’s always something new (that’s old, of course).

City Wide Garage Sale is unlike any garage sale you’ve been too. You don’t have to rummage through peoples dirty clothing and used VHS tapes… this is more the upscale rummaging. Vendors have booths filled with antiques and collectibles, everything from old western ware, dishes, jewelry, furniture, etc. Some booths are better than others, but you should be able to find something to take home. If nothing, you spent the afternoon in air conditioning looking at super cool stuff.
Both times we’ve gone to City Wide we’ve left with Antiques that originated in Salt Lake City (home town)… super random, but we love looking at them. You’ll never know what you’ll find!
It’s worth going to at least once, but try and go early Saturday to get the good stuff. Both times we’ve gone we’ve arrived near closing on Sunday and it’s slimmer pickings.

This place would definitely have gotten less stars if the vendors weren’t so nice… and if the prices weren’t reduced because it had been a slow weekend (I went late Sunday, just before close).
There’s a pretty wide range of vintage here – from super pricey dresses & housewares to the pay-​by-​the-​pound stuff. There’s a bit of everything, and I thought the selection was great. You could find boots, hats, ladies gloves, handbags, kitschy housewares and there was a lot of furniture too.
If you like old school table linens and sheets & quilts, this is a good spot to pick up some for cheap. Know that some of them have the typical vintage diseases… spots or musty smell… but most of them are priced accordingly.
I also managed to pick up some great dresses for dancing at the Spoke, also reasonably priced (great condition, $ 10).
The thing that’s not so good is paying for admission ($ 5) and parking ($ 7). It’s just a lot of money to be out when you’re going to a garage sale. If this place was free to get into, I would have given more stars.

Not really a garage sale vibe as most of the booths seem kind of professional and the stuff for sale wasn’t exactly pulled from the back of the vendor’s closet or priced like that. It’s fun to roam around and gawk at expensive kitsch. I love the huge piles of vintage clothes and fabric.

When you enter, you are hit with massive tables of cloth. They are like sedentary multi-​colored camels waiting to be sifted through. Beyond these are seemingly countless shops that take much longer than you’d think to make your way around. These vendors have a little bit of everything, from vintage jewelry to furniture and the cutest little hats. The best part about this place is that among the lamps and linens lie a million trinkets and treasures waiting for you to take them home.
My friend Bridgette and I wandered through here August 15^th and made out like bandits. (Well, I left early for work so am unsure what she made out with, but I sure did!) I found the perfect black (very Chanel-​esque) tweed «Audrey Hepburn Dress» for $ 10 that I vowed to wear when watching mad men later that day. Bridgette also picked out 5 aprons at $ 1 a piece for me that I adore. Not too shabby for being there less than an hour. I plan on going next time and spending at least 2. Ah so there we have it. City Wide Garage Sale. It’s worth it. Held once a month at the Palmer Event Center. Catch the next one October 24^th. More details at their site… and if you sign up for the news letter, they’ll send you a little coupon for $ 1 off parking. (Hey that’ll buy an apron!)

Finally checked this place out today…“Garage Sale” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more like a huge Vintage/​Antique Sale and the pricing that goes along with it. They do have lots of cool stuff, including one vendor who had many tables piled high with vintage pillow cases, tea towels, table cloths, ethnic fabrics, etc and charge for them by the pound. There was also a good selection of mid-​century furniture at reasonable prices. Tons of jewelry, vintage paper dolls, and postcards, etc… My husband fancied himself a WWI German Helmet. For $ 400, he can fancy that from afar. ;)
Admission is $ 5 per person. Kids under 12 are free. If you sign up on their website, they’ll email you a coupon for $ 1 off admission.

My friend and I have lived in Austin for over four or five years and neither of us have ever experienced the bliss that is the Citywide Garage sale. Apparantly this is quite unfortunate and we are now going to make up for lost time. Imagine everything you have ever wanted in a garage sale, and now multiply it by 100 and that’s what you’ll find. Everything there is either usable, antique/​vintage, or both. I am talking jewelry, dishes, vintage clothes, handbags and accessories, music, trinkites, kitchen items, furs, art, etc… We didn’t even get through the whole thing. Next time we decided we were going to start with the clothing and then work our way to the other booths, and we will eat before we go because, believe us, you will need your fuel for this mammoth event of perusing and rifling through things.