a lovely Park Slope tradition

femmedada

Today I picked up a bunch of classical cassette tapes that were left in a box at Union Street and Eighth Avenue. Right now I am listening to a recording of a Faure elegie by Eugene Ormandy and cellist Leonard Rose. It is so beautiful . . . thank you, somebody.

I have lived in Park Slope for 25 years. One of my favorite things about my neighborhood is that people put recordings, lamps, clothing that their children have outgrown on their stoops or on the sidewalk instead of the trash.

Does anyone know how long this has been a Park Slope tradition?

seven24

Is this really just a Park slope tradition?
I thought this was done everywhere.
I do this all the time but last week I put out a bouncy chair
that my little man has out grown but no one took it home so
it ended up in the dump.
Later on today I'm gonna put out a stuffed horse that my kid wore
around her waist for halloween (she was a cowgirl).
I'm hoping someone can find a use for it cause I need the room
for the new presents that will be arriving christmas day.
I also will be puting out a repairable vcr.
Please make my junk your treasure, thank you.

lostingreenwoodhts

We had a friend, a carpenter, place a well made, but no longer "space-feasible," set of book shelves on the street in Carroll Gardens. They were gone the next morn. 4 years later, taking the trash out, he saw that a neighbor had placed his old shelves (stained a new color) out on the street again...they were gone the next morn. Great story, and so typical of "street shopping nights" that go on twice a week in Bklyn.

cabaki

seven24 wrote: Is this really just a Park slope tradition?
I thought this was done everywhere.

I can tell you, as new york native, I've never seen this before outside of park slope (and surrounding areas.) Its one of the nice subtleties I like about park slope.

I grew up in queens and people would put stuff out for the garbageman as if no one else existed in the world. But then again, I grew up in an apartment building so people would be pissed off (esp. management) if people left boxes of stuff out on the street.

Maybe its a brownstone brooklyn thing due to the large amounts of walkups & family-owned stoops (not to mention affluent familes who want to pass their stuff down?

carnivore

I've also seen this in Manhattan in areas like Gramercy with lots of townhouses.

lostingreenwoodhts

Did garbage shopping in Ft. Greene for YEARS, heck, 'tis how I furnished my first apt

I think it exists all over the City, depending on neighborhood.

Still browsing every trash night here in GWH! Always looking to recycle.

cabaki

lostingreenwoodhts wrote: Did garbage shopping in Ft. Greene for YEARS, heck, 'tis how I furnished my first apt
.

But, shopping through other people's garbage is different than people who intentionally leave things out for passerby in a box to take.

lostingreenwoodhts

Hmmm. when someone leaves a sign that says "FREE" I think they are in the ballpark

And I don't "shop thru their trash," just merely pick up things to be reused, such as left over 2X4's from a project, pots for the garden, house plants needing better care, etc.

I'm not a junkman, fer chistsakes :evil:

cabaki

i dont think someone needs to write "free" in order to make the point that they're leaving stuff out for someone to take (not everyone reads english anyway!)

and i have nothing against trash shopping, i've got tons of great stuff I found through other people's trash.

"one man's trash is another mans' treasure"....

lostingreenwoodhts

Cabaki wrote: i dont think someone needs to write "free" in order to make the point that they're leaving stuff out for someone to take

Agreed, I guess it's the perception that someone may or may not be leaving items out specifically for folks to paw through...or, they just left them out...trash or treasure.

yavel

The latest thing I picked up was a 1975 edition of Better Homes & Gardens: Houseplants. I think this was around Garfield.

laura

Yavel wrote: The latest thing I picked up was a 1975 edition of Better Homes & Gardens: Houseplants.

Cool! Great pic.

My latest acquisition: a perfectly new-looking swivel desk chair for my home office.

8thandprez

Anyone who's looking for good-quality men's dress shirts should swing by the corner of 8th and President St this evening/tomorrow morning. I'm putting out a load of shirts that my huband and I no longer wear: Club Monaco, BR, Pink, and others. Enjoy!

raw

I'm seen this outside of the New York City area in towns that have brownstones. It's beautiful thing when it's not raining and when you do not have to worry about bed bugs.

daahookup21

Yeah, I do that and its gone the next day. I think there is a site forgot what it is. I saw it on tv these people made it and they go around looking for stuff when garbage goes out they take a pic of it send it to the site with the location, and people can just go there and get it. Anyone know the site?

brooklynpotter

my tally on finding cashmere sweaters is three (two on my block, one on PPW).

steve

I have a coffee table I gfofund outside of purity that I think is cool and everyone else freaking loves.