I was amazed when I arrived in Paris on Saturday by all the people on the sidewalks dragging carts of household goods behind them. As I approached Joe's street, I saw why. Apparently the mayor of this particular area of Paris declared the day a "Grand Vide Grenier" or "Empty Your Attic" - a giant garage sale. All along both sides of the street and beneath the tents used for the weekly market, neighbors were spreading out their stuff. Besides being generally interested in what it is exactly that Parisians have in their closets and attics, I really enjoyed seeing the many backgrounds represented by the things Joe's diverse neighborhood was jetisoning. Plus I had forgotten socks (it is cooler than I expected), and I was asked to bring children's books home to a new French teacher I know. Score!
Of all the ways to get rid of excess things, my least favorite is the garage sale - so much trouble for so little return. And as much as we like to buy used things, you have to wonder if all the driving to get to them negates the other resources saved.
This seemed like a wonderful solution, and do-able at home too. Parking wouldn't be a problem because you could just stroll around your own neighborhood. It would be a way to formalize and streamline what neighbors have traditionally done in the past when we knew each other better - trade children's clothes for the next size up, exchange toys, share books, tools, etc. on a larger scale. If the enconomy continues to slide, maybe there will be more folks willing to "empty their attics"at the neighborhood level.
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