An Expert’s Guide to Bargain Lovers’ Weekend Shopping
Published 8/24/24
Updated 9/18/24
Ferndale’s annual Bargain Lovers’ Weekend—coming up September 20-22, 2024—is the perfect opportunity to experience the charm of the Victorian Village while indulging in one of our most fun traditions. This town-wide yard sale has become a must-attend event for treasure hunters, vintage enthusiasts, and anyone who loves the thrill of finding a great deal.
To help you navigate this exciting event, we spoke with Brittany Moore, owner of Lost Coast Living and a longtime Ferndale resident. Her expertise in curating beautiful pieces for her shop makes her the ideal guide for Bargain Lovers’ newcomers and veterans alike.
In our interview, Brittany shared her tried-and-true strategies for making the most of the weekend, from early morning scouting trips to manifesting that perfect find. She also reflected on some of her most memorable scores from past years, offering inspiration and practical tips for your own treasure hunt.
Whether you’re hunting for a specific item or just enjoying the atmosphere, let Brittany’s insights help you uncover Ferndale’s hidden gems!
[Previously in this series: Bargain Lovers’ Weekend tips from Sharon and Rich Spencer, owners of Spencers Ferndale Vintage]
This interview was conducted by email and has been lightly edited and condensed.
Visit Ferndale: Please introduce yourself.
Brittany Moore: I was lucky enough to be raised in Ferndale and have all of my family here. I have pretty much lived here my entire life. I am the owner of Lost Coast Living and have been in business for three years now.
Lost Coast Living
What are you passionate about when it comes to your business? I have always enjoyed interior design and helping people with any type of decision in the home design process. After many years of helping people choose items for their homes, I figured, why not open up a shoppe where people can go and choose from items that have been curated by my sister and me? My passion for this business definitely grew out of an enjoyment of helping people make their house feel like a home and seeing it all come together.
Can you share a bit about how you find items for your shop in general? I knew when I first opened the shoppe that I wanted items that you don’t see everywhere. I’ve always loved natural, organic, timeless pieces, and these generally come from vintage markets. My favorite market to shop so far has been the Alameda Flea, and through that market, I’ve met vendors that can deliver on one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. I love to check out yard sales, especially estate sales, for vintage furniture, pottery, and artwork, so whenever I see a yard sale or estate sale sign, I’ll always give it a drive-by to check it out. If I see anything that looks interesting, I’ll jump out of the car. I’ll do this anywhere, whether it be here in town or even when I’m out of town.
How long have you been shopping at Bargain Lovers’ Weekend? For as long as I can remember. When I was younger, my mom loved to go, and my sisters and I would always go with her. Now that we’re all older, it is our mother/daughters tradition that we do every year together. We all work as a team to help each other find what we’re looking for.
What do you look forward to most about Bargain Lovers? I honestly always look forward to the “hunt” of it all. I always have items in mind that I’m looking for, and it’s exciting to me to look around all over town to see if I can find anything on my list. Sometimes I find exactly what I was looking for, and other times I find something I didn’t even know I needed until I saw it!
Can you share a memorable story from a past Bargain Lovers’ Weekend? What are some of your favorite things you’ve ever found? Were you specifically looking for them? I have a few memorable finds from Bargain Lovers’ Weekends, one being an original, vintage Chesterfield sofa. I remember walking and seeing a ratty brown sofa on 5th Street with a sign on it that said “Free.” I found it late in the afternoon, so I knew many people had already passed by it. I lifted the seat cushions to see the company name on it and noticed all of the original detailing was still in good shape; the fabric was just sun-bleached and old. I scooped up the sofa and my sisters and I paid to have it reupholstered and gave it to my mom as a birthday gift. My parents still have that Chesterfield sofa in their home today. Another memorable find was a wooden Jenny Lind crib. My older sister was pregnant at the time with her daughter, and we had already been eyeing Jenny Lind cribs. If you’re familiar with this brand, you know they are pricey! We spotted a crib on Berding Street that looked similar to what we had been wanting for her nursery, so we went into the yard to get a closer look, and sure enough, it was an original Jenny Lind. I think we maybe paid $10 for it. That was one of our best scores to date.
Now onto advice. What tips can you share for people coming to shop at Bargain Lovers?
If you live in, work in, or frequent Ferndale, go on a walk or drive through town on Thursday evening! This is my favorite time to scan yard sale signs, see what houses have tables out, and decide which streets I should visit first.
These next two pieces of advice I feel like are the most important. First, if you can, ALWAYS shop on Friday morning! If you have things you’re wanting to find, you’ll most likely miss out if you wait until Saturday or Sunday. Second, always shop Bargain Lovers ON FOOT! Driving might seem fast and convenient, but you will miss hidden gems while driving, and walking really allows you to see everything, especially when sometimes the best yard sales are in back or side yards!
Plan your route! Over the years, my mom, sisters, and I have our route down, so this is a little bit of insider info. One of us will go get coffee between 7:30-8:00 in the morning. While we are driving to get coffee, we do one pass down Main Street just to see if there is anything we’re looking for that’s already set out. If we see something, we’ll go directly to that house and get it. If not, we don’t shop Main Street first. If we know of a sale going on out Grizzly Bluff or Williams Creek, we’ll drive out there to take a quick look, but we always like to shop side streets first before anyone else gets there. I recommend parking on Washington Street in the middle of town (if you don’t have a specific house to meet at). My favorite side streets to check first are Rose Avenue, McKinley, Schley, Howard, and Berding. Once we’re on Berding, we peek down other streets like Eugene and Cleveland. After we’ve reached the end of Berding (usually after lots of detours), we go around Fireman’s Park and head down Main Street. We always end our Bargain Lovers shopping at No Brand Burger Stand to grab some lunch and then head back to the car. Sometimes on our way back home, we’ll drive the long way and go down 5th Street just to see if anything catches our eye.
This last piece of advice might sound funny, but it has worked for me more than once over the years...manifest what you want to find! Two years ago, I was searching for rush seat, wooden dining chairs and couldn’t source an affordable set anywhere. I put it out there that I wanted to find some, and I found a set of four that year. Last year, I manifested that I wanted to find a vintage oak dresser for my entry, and sure enough, as I turned down McKinley to pick up my sister to begin our Bargain Lovers shopping, her neighbor was selling the exact dresser I was looking for! At first we started manifesting as a joke and thought it was a coincidence when we’d find what we were looking for, but now it’s just part of our tradition. I’ve already begun my manifestations for this year...vintage pine hutch...vintage pine hutch!
Are there any rookie mistakes you see BLW shoppers make? The biggest rookie mistake someone can make is to drive the streets. If you want to find treasures and get good deals, you need to be on foot and interacting with the sellers and the other shoppers. If you’re worried about finding something too big to take with you, I’ve never met a Ferndale resident who wouldn’t put a “sold” sign on an item for you to come back and get it later.
Turning now to *selling* at BLW, what advice would you give to someone participating in Bargain Lovers’ Weekend as a seller for the first time? If you’re selling for the first time, put your signs out the Monday prior to Bargain Lovers. The earlier your sign is up, the more people will see it and come to your sale. If your sale sign is unique and different, that will immediately catch people’s attention. I would also list items you have for sale on your sign. When I see signs that say “vintage,” “antique,” or “furniture”... I’m there.
What makes Ferndale a great place to visit? Do you have a favorite place you like to share with visitors? Ferndale is a great place to visit because everywhere you go, there’s something to see. As a Ferndale resident, it’s easy to take where we live for granted, but when you stop and look around, we really do have a little bit of everything here. We’ve got forests for hiking, the beach for relaxing, farmlands to take a drive through, historic homes and buildings for sightseeing, and actual mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, and farm stands. My favorite place I like to share with visitors (who enjoy going on walks) is out Williams Creek. Walking out there is peaceful and relaxing, and it’s an area most visitors don’t stumble upon themselves.
Is there anything else you want to add about Bargain Lovers or Ferndale? Talk with the sellers. I love hearing stories from the sellers about furniture or art pieces I’m buying. It’s fun to find out the life your item lived before you bought it, and it’s always a fun story to tell once it’s in your home.
Where can people find you? You can find Lost Coast Living at 431 Main Street. We are open Thursday-Sunday 11-4. We are planning to close our doors at the end of September, so hurry in before then! If you want shoppe updates and news about sales and deals, you can follow us @shoppelostcoastliving on Instagram.
Thank you, Brittany, for sharing these amazing tips with us. We hope you find your vintage pine hutch!
To our visitors: Happy hunting, and may you discover your own hidden treasures at Bargain Lovers’ Weekend, coming up September 20-22, 2024!
Update, 9/18/24: Please find some logistical tips for Bargain Lovers’ Weekend below. They’re also available on Facebook and Instagram for you to screenshot and share!
— Sellers are welcome to post in the Facebook event. Admins will approve. Posts are moderated to try to cut down on fake/scammer posts.
— Beware scams claiming to be selling vendor spots. This is a common Facebook scam. We do our best to delete all such posts/comments. Visit Ferndale and the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce are not selling BLW vendor spots.
— Find ATMs at Red Front, Valley Grocery, and The Palace.
— Find public restrooms at 4 locations around town:
Firemen’s Park at 100 Berding St.
330 Ocean Ave. parking lot (portables)
Next to U.S. Post Office at 536 Main St.
City Hall at 834 Main St. (portables)
More ways to connect with us
Check our year-round event calendar
Photo(s) by Leon Villagomez for the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce. May not be reused without permission.