Oakland’s annual White Elephant Sale season returns Sunday

By Lou Fancher

​Even inveterate nonshoppers can fall prey to temptation at the Oakland Museum Women’s Board’s annual White Elephant Sale, as attested to during an interview with Lynne Berg.

As chair of the Sales Committee for the 65th annual event overseen by the organization that has raised more than $30 million during its 60-plus years in support of the Oakland Museum of California, Berg admits that “I don’t love shopping.”

Despite this and as with many people who become volunteers at what is arguably one of Northern California’s largest rummage sales (whiteelephantsale.org) — and a pinnacle repurposing opportunity — the attraction is part cause, part contagious.

“Our board members and volunteers work to support the museum’s acquisitions, exhibitions, educational programs and other things,” says Berg. “Prior to 2011, volunteers could on one day bring guests to shop. A dear friend gave me tickets for years. One year I finally went and brought a friend.

“I got such a kick out of watching the avid enthusiasm. I decided it was a safe place where I could volunteer and wouldn’t over-shop.”

This year’s sale offers select public shopping days from Jan. 31 through Feb. 24 (this Sunday‘s preview sale is already sold out) and includes new features such as ticketless $5 entry after 11 a.m. and free entry after 1 p.m. The sale warehouse is at 333 Lancaster St. in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, right across the estuary from Alameda.

“Blow Out Sale” days March 2-3 will open the doors with free admission for all ages, unlike other days when only children 12 or older with tickets are allowed. The sale’s FAQ page (whiteelephantsale.org/faqs) is the best way to learn the basics, with links provided for specifics such as items not accepted for donation, tax deductions, parking and more.

What isn’t and cannot be fully described on the website is the remarkable enormity and variety of the well-organized and visibly priced items in categories such as furniture, clothing, household, music, gardening, books, accessories, art and bric-a-brac.

The last two represent irresistible temptation to Marge Harvey, the president of the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

“I started volunteering in 2016,” Harvey said. “I had been a shopper for years and wanted to volunteer. I always go to bric-a-brac, and I’ve bought one piece of art each year.

“I remember one of my favorites purchases was a papier-mâché alligator face that hangs in my bathroom. It’s vibrant; about 18 inches tall and a foot wide. I’m also a frequent flyer in the toy department because I have three grandchildren, and I go to the women’s clothing department and to books.”

Harvey says the all-women board composed of 80 voting members and 55 nonvoting members who are emeritus or associates come from many different directions. Decisions are made by consensus, a remarkable feat considering the numbers.

“It feels like we’re running a business,” she admits “because we have 135 members, seven employees, 800 volunteers, this warehouse and a moving van. Most of the time voting means a lot of discussion and preparation ahead of time. It’s a wonderful group of dedicated women committed to a shared cause, which helps tremendously.”

Although the women’s board is an entirely separate organization from the museum, Harvey says, “Someone from OMCA always comes to our meetings to provide information. They do tours for us, and we all work together to build community. We’re committed to celebrating Oakland and to making safe places for everyone to visit.”

Sales Committee Chair Berg’s day-to-day activities as the sale approaches change from one five-minute period to the next. On the day of the interview, someone had driven a motorized bicycle dripping oil through the warehouse.

“Getting that cleaned up was unexpected,” she says. “And I’m always answering volunteers’ questions or responding to emails.

“One donor asked about getting special permission to park a trailer on our property so they could load up all the stuff they plan to buy. Another asked about bringing an infant strapped to their chest. I had to say ‘no’ to both, (to) the parent because we’re still being cautious about COVID, the new flu and other safety matters.”

Shoppers most often receive a “sorry, not possible” answer when asking if an unintentionally donated item can be retrieved or their money refunded, but as with any humane, human-run enterprise, exceptional circumstances call for extraordinary efforts. Recently, Berg received a distraught call from a woman who had donated stacks of books; among them two that were actually book cut-outs for secret storage.

“What was in them was heirloom jewelry. When she came in, tears ran down her face — and mine. It was jewelry that had belonged to her grandparents. We gave it back to her, and that made everybody’s day.”

In addition to practical or habitual shopping — Berg occasionally buys a hiking shirt and Harvey keeps up her “one piece of art” routine — there are unusual items to enjoy each year. Berg says the gigantic drink cooler nearly six feet tall and shaped like a curvaceous Coke bottle will capture shoppers’ attention, but the 1,000 corsets packed into crates that someone wanted to donate will not.

“There’s no way we could sell them, and with limited space how would we or anyone house them?”

Harvey hasn’t perused the inventory, but points to “A Taste of Style,” an October 2023 OMCA event to kick off Oakland Style Week that shared the problems of high demand and limited space. Seven Oakland chefs prepared dishes inspired by iconic fashion designers while local models wearing vintage outfits pulled from the White Elephant Sale participated in a fashion show.

“It was amazing,” says Harvey, “but the venue meant only 150 people could attend. What I liked is that it showed our commitment to recycling, repurposing and reusing the items at the sale. And it was all local talent to support people working in the Bay Area.”

Due to the enthusiastic response, the organizers hope to find a larger venue for the annual fashion event this year.
​
Also, Berg has no worries about going home empty-handed. A box just larger than a cell phone labeled with the name “Kat” actually contained a pet’s cremated remains that could not be in the sale, so she took them home and sprinkled them in her yard. An avid animal lover, she’s considering buying the box and says, “it’s lovely and clearly special,” revealing a true shopper’s heart after all.