It’s only 1:15 on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but Yona Zeldis McDonough, 56, has already been to five stoop sales. Purchases in her now-brimming shopping cart include a $5 Tocca blouse, a Laura Ashley frock for the same price and several vintage dresses she scored for only $4 a pop. “I love the hunt!” the Brooklyn novelist enthuses. “I love the discovery!”
Stoop sales have arrived in full force with summer, when New Yorkers pound the pavement each weekend in search of everything from clothes to sporting goods sold by their neighbors. For a breakdown of standard stoop-sale finds — and tips on how to distinguish treasure from trash — The Post recruited stoop-sale buff Arianna Rebolini for a day of shopping. As editor of local blog parkslopestoop.com, the 27-year-old compiles a weekly list of the neighborhood’s best sales. A resident of the nabe, she shops them, too — a habit she developed growing up in the suburbs of Long Island.
“My mother is a fiend for garage sales, so we would go every weekend,” Rebolini says of her early deal-seeking days.
“It’s in my blood.”
We ventured to Park Slope, where you can’t throw an old earring without hitting a stoop sale, and stopped at three — one three blocks long. We found lots of bargains and met a lot of bargain hunters along the way. Here’s what we uncovered.
Rebolini (left) shows off a stylish magenta wrap dress she found at a Bergen Street stop for just . (Imogen Brown)
At just for a fashionable necklace, a savvy New York shopper can’t afford not to buy at stoop sales. (Imogen Brown)
Yona Zeldis McDonough, perusing sales on Bergen Street, is perhaps one of Brooklyn’s most avid stoop-sale shoppers. In one weekend, she says, “If it’s good weather, I could be at eight or 10. Or 15!” (Imogen Brown)
11 A.M.: Reeve Place, between Prospect Park Southwest and Prospect Avenue
Organized annually by Reeve Place residents, this neighborhood-wide sale spans three blocks and more than a dozen stoops. While Nicholas and Anita Viola hawked a Monopoly game for $5 and a pair of Dan Post boots for $25, both brand-new, Nader El Rachidi and Valeria Bassot attempted to entice shoppers with two sets of lefty golf clubs ($10 to $20 per club) and bags to tote them around in for $30 each. A $3 Ketel One martini shaker and a 12-piece dinner set priced at $10 garnered attention at Efrain and Carmen Torres’ stoop, though Rebolini was most impressed by the apparel for sale.
“If this was in [Brooklyn consignment store] Beacon’s Closet, you’d easily pay $10 for it,” says Rebolini, pointing out a kitschy Coca-Cola sweater, “but they’re selling it for $3.” A bright windbreaker tagged for $3 also piques her interest. “Neon is everywhere,” she notes of the jacket’s trendy appeal, “and so is color blocking.”
12:30 P.M.: Bergen Street, between Fourth and Fifth avenues
“This is our first [stoop sale] together,” explains Stephanie Hasiotis, who, along with fiancée Jackie Bergman, is selling a large selection of clothes, accessories and appliances.
“We moved in last year, so we’ve just been consolidating our stuff.”
According to Rebolini, these are some of the best sales to attend, as sellers are often purging items because they own more than one of them, not necessarily because something’s in poor condition.
Neighbor George Robinson, 55, arrives in time to get a coffee grinder for $1, and Boerum Hill resident Rose Kennedy, 28, spends a total of $4.50 on a compass, a pair of earrings and a humidifier.
A rack of dresses is filled with labels like Anthropologie and Everly, priced from $7 to $15 each — along with a rare vintage find that Rebolini quickly spots. “You can tell by this old-style tag that this is definitely from [at least] about 20 years ago,” she says, holding up a yellow A-line dress that Hasiotis later sells for $10. Soon Yona Zeldis McDonough is scoping the merchandise, too, making this the sixth sale of the day she’s attended. Deals on high-end items, she says, are one of the highlights of her hobby. “I once got an Hermès scarf for $40!” she says proudly.
1:30 P.M.: Union Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues
Like many stoop sales, Carlota Fluxa’s is designed to support a charitable cause. “I’m raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society,” she says. Fluxa is unloading jewelry for $2 to $5, a vintage Fisher-Price record player for $10 and a toaster oven for $3.
She’s also using a popular tactic to entice shoppers: selling $1 refreshments. Manning a table of Spanish omelets, lemonade and sodas, she settles with Rebolini on $3 for David Sedaris’ hilarious book “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.” The two then dish on what a steal Fluxa’s never-before-used wine aerator is. “You’ll buy them at places like Brookstone for $50,” says Fluxa. “And here you can get one for $5.”
Stoop secrets: Tips from the experts
Start early. The hard-core shoppers will know when the sales start, and will be there at the beginning to find the best of the goods, says Arianna Rebolini.
Come prepared. Have key measurements (clothing sizes, room dimensions if you’re hunting for rugs, furniture, etc.) on hand. Bring bags (or a handy shopping cart) in case the seller doesn’t have one. “I like to keep some baby wipes in my bag, too,” says Yona Zeldis McDonough. “They are handy for cleaning your hands or a dusty item before you pack it up.”
Bargain, but be polite. Never denigrate the merchandise if you are looking for a deal. “Instead, smile sweetly and ask, ‘Is that your best price?’ or ‘Can you do a bit better on that?’ ” suggests McDonough.
Think ahead, seasonally. Winter will be here sooner than you know it, so get deals on holiday items, winter clothes and more.
Don’t buy it just Because it’s a deal. “It may be $2, but if it’s your fourth floral romper or [a pair of] nude heels that only kind of fit, spend it on a coffee instead,” says Rebolini.
Pay attention to quality. If you find a $10 Theory dress in good condition but a size too big? “Snag it and get it tailored,” says Rebolini.
Step outside your comfort zone. Stoop sales essentially allow you to shop in a stranger’s closet, so let their style influence yours and have some fun with it.