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Pablo Solomon’s Yard Sale Shopping Advice

Although Pablo Solomon is now an internationally recognized artist and designer living the good life, things were not always so good. “I grew up in a multicultural home in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Houston. My parents taught me the value of hard work, education and tenacity. They also taught me how to buy, sell and trade. Our family was supplementing our income with yard sales for as long as I can remember. My parents were really good at it and I carried on the tradition. Now I shop and hold yard sales for fun.”

Here are some of Pablo Solomon’s favorite yard sale shopping tips:

1. Know the value of as many things as possible; The more you know, the more likely you are to make some good buys/deals.

2. Carry a magnifying glass to examine jewelry, art, glassware, pottery, etc. Also carry a tape measure to check frames, print sizes, etc. Often the real deals at yard sales are old frames. I have found some that were 150 years old for chump-change. Frames are also often the key to recognizing valuable art.

3. Wear clothes with lots of pockets and have like $3,$7, $17 in various pockets. If the yard sale person is asking for $5, pull out the $3 and ask if he/she will take the $3, etc. Always carry cash. No yard sale person likes to worry about checks.

4. Remember there are no refunds or returns at yard sales, so if you buy it, you own it.

5. You can usually tell immediately if the yard sale is being held by one of these people trying to beat the system by not having a real shop in order to avoid paying taxes, skirt business fees, etc. by holding sales at their house. Usually these people are overpriced and you will get no bargains.

6. You can also tell if the yard sale is going to be overpriced in general right away. If the first few items you see are overpriced for junk, do not waste your time.

7. You can still find amazing collectibles, antiques, costume jewelry, etc., but you also can find a lot of fakes. Often the person holding the sale does not even know that he/she is selling a fake–and just as often they make a killing selling fakes to suckers.

8. The best sales can often be in the most expensive neighborhoods. Often very expensive clothes, shoes, etc. are sold very cheaply and almost new just because the person is clearing out his/her closet.

9. You just never know what will pop up. Often people inherit things that they have no clue as to the value. That is what you dream of as a shopper.

10. Go early for selection, late for best prices. At the end of the sale, the person holding the yard sale is ready to dump everything cheaply.

11. It is not your job to tell the person holding the sale that they are overpriced for the stuff they are selling– just leave. It is also not your job to tell the person holding the sale that they are under priced for something valuable–just buy the item and smile when you get home.

Pablo Solomon is an internationally recognized artist known primarily for my drawings and sculptures of dancers, as well as for my visionary
environmental designs. He has been featured in books, magazines,
newspapers, radio, TV and film. Currently he lives and works with his wife Beverly on his historic 1856 ranch north of Austin, Texas. Before acting as a full time muse and business manager, Beverly was a model and then in sales and marketing for Diane von Furstenberg, Revlon and Ralph Lauren. You can see Pablo’s work at www.pablosolomon.com

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Decorating on a Dime: How an Artist Shines

We are very excited to feature Pablo Solomon, an internationally recognized artist and award winning designer. He has been featured in 23 books, most major magazines and newspapers, TV, radio and even was subject of a short film. Pablo is best known in the design world for his eco-friendly designs and his work with recycled materials and furnishings.

For this feature, Pablo describes the tag sale items in the photos to illustrate various points in buying and in decorating. (The shown non tag sale art  by himself and the other artists are in the big money range so I did not put prices–but who knows what will show up in a tag sale 40 years from now?)


I use this photo to illustrate that an entire room can be done basically with items from yard sales, garage sales, etc.–all in Texas. Both of the post-Civil War ( late 1860s) iron beds were purchased for $25 each. The antique oak dresser with mirror cost $100. The table lamp is from the 1920s and cost $5. The standing lamps was $7. The ornate candle holder is from the 1970s and cost $3.


This room’s decorative finds show how the new and the old can be used to create an interesting setting. The items include (except the art–sculptures by me and painting by NYC artist Franck de la Mercedes), the green antique Santa Fe cabinet ( about 1840s) was purchased for $300. The one of a kind pine coffee table for $10, throw pillows $3 each and the art rug for $15. On top of the cabinet is an exceptional large Colonial Texas ( pre 1836) wooden bread kneading bowl from one large piece of cottonwood –$100.


This photo is again a unique blend, all except the art are from yard sales. The 1960s art lamp is a Pierre Cardin, I purchased 2 for $25. I wrote Pierre Cardin in Paris sending him photos. He wrote me back stating his astonishment that they would show up in a tag sale in Texas. The carved wood picture frame is over 150 years old and was purchased for an amazing $8. The art vase for $5. And to top a great setting with a great story–the California oak tree of life cabinet was given to me in exchange for helping to set up a tag sale. The small painting on stone by me is featured in the Joyce Schwarz book on vision boarding and the large painting is by popular Texas artist Nancy Gray. The small bronze I picked up for 25 cents.


The patio shot shows a one of a kind cast iron table with a Texas fossil stone top purchased for $75. The Mexican pot was $1 and the piece of green glass 25 cents. The cat was free.

Pablo Solomon is an internationally recognized Artist & Designer. His work can be viewed on his website, PabloSoloman.com