I have attended the White Elephant Sale since I was 12, and now at 26 I feel that the sale has diminished in quality, quantity, value, and overall experience. The White Elephant sale has honestly felt very different since 2020. Before the pandemic, there were walk up donations, the warehouse was always full, and the March sale was still packed with treasures to be found. Now the warehouse feels empty even during preview, all walk up and drive up donations have been eliminated, and the March sale is advertised as a "clearance sale" because of how empty the warehouse is. Stopping walk up and drive up donations has seriously hurt the sale. The number of small trinket items to be found is much smaller than it used to be. While there may be costs saved by not having to sort through and discard items that are not sellable, is the loss of profit from not having those smaller items greater? People like me used to donate all the time to the sale, but now donate to thrift stores that have walk up and drive up options instead. How many other people also have a bag full of great items but are not donating them because pickup donations are the only option? I have also found that in recent years the staff has become less and less kind. This year there was not a single visit to the warehouse that was not met with rude or unprofessional behavior by volunteers. That is not to say there are not wonderful volunteers, because I have had great experiences as well, but the number of negative interactions I have had seems to be increasing. I have been accused of stealing, had snarky comments made toward me, and have been accused of price switching. It has gotten to the point where going to the White Elephant is no longer bringing me joy, and it is difficult to see volunteers act with such low levels of kindness. You often emphasize being kind to volunteers, but shoppers deserve that same level of kindness and respect. One thing that stands out when it comes to how empty the warehouse has been, as well as the general morale of the volunteers, is the changing culture of reselling. I recognized dealers from Alameda Point and various antique markets as new volunteers, which makes me wonder if they are partially contributing to the diminished quality and quantity of items this year. In the past, almost all volunteers seemed to be there because they believed in the mission of the Oakland Museum. Now it appears that some newer volunteers may be more motivated by making money. It also raises the question that if they are pricing items they later purchase, were those items priced fairly? Especially when their ultimate goal is to resell items and make money. In addition, there seems to be a lack of willingness to receive feedback. As another reviewer mentioned, it can feel like the organization operates under the idea that because it is for charity and run by volunteers, feedback should not be given. That approach is simply unsustainable. I attempted to provide feedback both in person and on Instagram and was met with very combative responses. This is confusing, as feedback is essential when running such a large sale, and experiences like that make me hesitant to return. I have heard from others that the White Elephant has been "cleared out" this year. Without the return of more casual donations, stronger screening of volunteers, and limitations on what volunteers are able to purchase during presale events, the White Elephant will likely continue to decline. As a loyal shopper, I truly hope the organization will begin taking feedback seriously and consider changes that can help bring the sale back to its former glory. read more

I've gone to the white elephant for years, 10+ to be specific. This year the selection was drastically different than previous years (I'll get back to this). Not only that, the prices were the highest I had seen. I included photos of some examples of what was priced super high in bric a brac (on your Facebook page the admin said to 'show specific examples') so I took photos of items I couldn't fathom being that high (even after looking on eBay to compare- the prices were just outrageous considering condition and quality). Not only that, but the selection on preview day (im usually in the first 30 people- and first to the department I shop) it already looked picked through. From what I understand the volunteers shop the sale before- but it's very disheartening and worrying when I recognize people who are new volunteers and I regularly see them sell at local things as resellers (nobody is saying you can't do that!), but it's more so the piecing together the lack of vintage and quality goods this year on preview, and the new volunteers, it's easy to assume there is a correlation. I worry that the integrity of the sale may be lost- and will only worsen as the years carry on. I know departments can vary year to year- of course that's a factor I consider. This is not a normal amount of variation- it's not like there was 30% less of something I have ALWAYS seen at your preview sale- it was 100% gone. And when I'm the first person looking- I know someone at preview didn't get it ahead of me. I heard from others who attended- even some people who didn't! They both said the same thing- white elephant was cleared out this year. Culture shifting about second hand and thrifting should be a consideration and something to keep in mind- the structure of this sale will collapse if it isn't. I'd imagine in the next couple years, the amount of resellers volunteering will outnumber the volunteers who have been there for years due to them retiring/ no longer doing it - and in turn will diminish the sale itself. I think how the preview tickets sold out in a little over a day vs a week last year, should convey how there is an increase in demand, to the degree that people will try to covertly get around it and 'ahead' by volunteering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many new volunteers this year didn't follow through with their commitments after they shopped on their preview- it makes you wonder. read more

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For the size of the white elephant sale, it was very well run and organized. Shout out to all the volunteers for the event that makes it a good experience. There's a lot, and I mean A LOT of stuff on sale. You have to be strategic as you go to first look for what you have in mind and once you're done with what you want to look for, then enjoy just looking around and seeing what else there may be that may catch your attention. The have things ranging from various used items like kitchen wares (some of which I personally think shouldn't be there as they were scratch up nonstick pans) to antiques (furnitures, household items, old irons and sewing machines) and jewelry to fossils. There are definitely many good bargains if you know what to look for. read more

White Elephant Sale - Rugs, furnitures and books - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

It's time to support the Oakland Museum White Elephant sale! All proceeds go towards the museum. The amount of donations to peruse is amazing and so nicely curated. Buy tickets ahead of time to be able to go at opening. Limited days. See their website for details. Credit card or Apple Pay only. Limited parking so plan accordingly. It's such a cool sale to support a great cause. read more

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I finally made it! Long time lurker from the internet to making it happen. I bought tix back in December for opening day. I arrived at 9am (it opened at 10am) and was about 100 person in line and was able to get street parking fairly easy. It's massive. All funds go to the OMCA. No tax. Credit card only. It's a lot and while I enjoyed rummaging, I didn't find too much that called out to me (I did get a small jewelry box and 2 crystal vases). Vintage clothes was fun, and a few things piqued my fancy, however they didnt fit. And those items were reasonably priced. I didn't have the patience to go through all the art. Also adequately priced. Jewelry was a let down and extremely overpriced, and that goes with the handbags. Lots of furniture, so many people talking about the sewing section, and so on. Baskets, trinkets, holiday ornaments, books, so.much.stuff. I did about 2 hours and I was tapped out. Again, depending on what you're looking for, I'm sure you can find some solid deals but nothing you couldn't find at a good thrift store/estate sale. I think I was expecting more high end things/luxury and other than crystal and china, I didn't see a ton. (I'm sure there was some good big furniture). Overall, I'll go again next year because I love a good hunt, but now I know to manage expectations! read more

I would give it 3 stars because it's not a thing for me to go treasure hunting. I gave it 4 stars because my wife really really wanted to go and she had a blast. They open only for a few hours a day so you may need to go for multiple days to do complete deep dive into their vast inventory of "treasure" Tips Buy tickets online well in advance They open at 10:00 Go early to queue up in line to get your wristband Walk in tickets start selling at 11:00 am so 1 hour after online ticket purchase Backpacks are not allowed Bring a few large bags if you think you are gonna buy something Plan accordingly if you think you will buy large items such as furniture or artwork Parking is tricky. I don't know what the onsite parking costs. Street parking is a premium if you find one. I saw many folks parking in the Fruitvale mall parking lot and walking over (5-6 blocks?) All that being said we did find a few household items that were great deals Ceramic baking dish $8, wine opener $1, leather desktop organizer $6, decorative glass pot $4 Anyway a decent way to spend a couple hours on a weekend read more

White Elephant Sale - Long wait to get 11:00 walk in tickets - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

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Today I did the 1st day of the white elephant sale. I was prepared with a list and I got everything I wanted and more. It was a great experience. This was my 2nd year, they seemed even more organized this year and the volunteers were lovely. I suggest everyone going, it's great and goes to a good cause. read more

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I had fun the times I've went, but these days standing in line causes me too much pain, I need to keep moving or I go down. Would be nice to have a disabled door where those that can't stand in line can be let in when the doors open without having to wait in line for hours. read more

Well organized volunteer event that hosts an amazing sale from early Dec through March. Proceeds support the Oakland museum of California. I love coming here because you truly don't know what you'll find! read more

I've been going to the WES for 15 years or so! It's my favorite tradition. When I was in college I traveled home to shop. Over the years I've found some great items-- tons of books for so cheap, including vintage and rare editions, housewares including a heart shaped enameled cast iron Le Creuset pan for $10, unique Christmas decorations, you name it. One year I really wanted to find a cookie cutter that would work for biscuits, and to my surprise I found a tin full of cutters specifically for biscuits! I think it cost $0.50. The sale has a huge selection of really interesting vintage pieces that sets it apart from your typical thrift store. I love perusing these items even if they're not what I'm looking for. All that being said, there are a couple drawbacks. I'm not a fan of the new ticket system. The WES used to be totally free to shop, you just needed to get an entry pass from a volunteer friend, or donate and get a one day pass. Now you have to pay $7 per day. I just saw a Tiktok video where the person said they lined up for 3 hours and other had been lined up since 3am. I find that utterly ridiculous. I wish they did not allow lines/camping that early. I also liked how the event felt very community oriented in past years. I would run into friends and acquaintances and all the volunteers had time to chat. Now, I feel like I'm constantly seeing resellers who are just shopping to list items on Ebay or Depop. The vibe is less friendly and more competitive. It's so crowded to the point that I skipped entire departments because I couldn't get close enough to see the items. This is not on the Preview Sale day or even the first week, but on a Week 2 Friday. I'm glad that the Museum is getting the benefit of more buyers, but it's too bad the shopping experience has diminished. I hope they will consider limiting the number of tickets available per day or bringing back the seasonal passes. There are some departments that have always been more miss than hit. The jewelry section is full of fun pieces, but seriously overpriced. Recently I saw a 10k gold pin with a small topaz gem priced at $400! That said, I'll still continue to attend every year and find unique items. This year I bought a rare book that's been on my To Read list for years ($3!), some lovely neck scarves, and various other bits and bobs that I'm very excited for. read more

The White Elephant Sale is a great place to do some treasure hunting! It's like a huge garage sale indoors. This was my first year attending, and can't wait to revisit next year. So much to see at the warehouse. A great way to spend a few hours and raise money for the museum. There is a price for admission and tickets do go fast, so get them when they become available. I believe admission becomes free later in the day, but it could get more crowded and fewer things will be available by then-just something to keep in mind (you can read more on their website). We got things from sewing kits to plant pots, books, clothes, linens, ovenware, even furniture! From what I can tell, most things are used/vintage, but I did also find brand new/unopened/like-new items as well. For the most part everyone running the check out areas were helpful and kind. Furniture pick up was smooth; they offered volunteers to help wheel out and load furniture. The man who helped us was very efficient at his job. My only complaint is one lady at the crafts/sewing area that basically shamed me for buying a small item ($1.25 blowout sale) because it took them $1.25 to process my purchase. Of course had I known this I wouldn't have paid for everything until I was at the end of my trip to help them maximize their profits. Despite this lady's unfriendly attitude toward me I did actually want to contribute to their fundraising. So advice is to keep this in mind as you are strolling through each department. Make sure you get a receipt and then you can pay for everything at the end if you'd like. read more

White Elephant Sale - Furniture - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

Very expensive. I am going for the first time. Very sad everything extremely overpriced.

Best rummage in the world, and it's located in downtown Oakland (where anything goes) in the meuseum what could be better ?

Went the first day so yes we $50 each. Got in line 3 hours early and there was already a huge line. That's fine can't fault people for coming earlier. Unfortunately the line probably doubled in "depth" as everyone felt comfortable letting their friends cut in. And the museum seems to encourage this by repeatedly combing through the line giving wrist bands to anyone new. Was a bust for me as far as finding anything great. Bought a few nice enough things but no bargains. Paid eBay prices. They'll just say "but it's a fundraiser" so basically you shouldn't have complaints. That's fine too, I just won't be back. read more

this mural was painted in 2014 to publicize the annual fundraising by the Oakland Museum Woman's Board for $$ to operate the Oakland Museum. it's outside the building hosting the annual event known as a "White Elephant Sale". mural shows a motley mix of an horned chameleon, a raccoon, an iguana, a green frog, several species of birds, flying insects and several elephants. these are interacting with an overpass, a disintegrating rainbow, tall trees. all align with blue skies, mountains, grassy fields, an estuary & the shilouette of an urban downtown in the background. creators: Ernest Doty, Griffin One, Vogue, TDK read more

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Many hidden gems here. Get there early, so much to see and all proceeds support the Oakland museum of California. You do need to really take your time though. So plan for a half a day at least. No junk, great finds. read more

Prior to COVID, I went to the WES every year with my family for as long as I can remember (I'm 32). For the general public, your options were either to buy a presale ticket in January (which weren't anywhere near the $40 they charge now) or to go to the free show weekend in March, no entry fees. While it was a bit of a madhouse and a free-for-all, you knew what to expect (and didn't go if you didn't enjoy that sort of thing) and it all added to the excitement of digging through junk and cool stuff to find affordable treasures. Key word there is "affordable." But over the years, and especially in the last decade since East Oakland has become gentrified with transplant Gen X/Millennial tech workers with money to burn who suddenly think thrifting is cool and not just something beneath them that only poor people do, the prices have skyrocketed here and greed is the name of the game. Instead of rummage or garage sale prices, things are now at antique store prices, with some items being priced at or higher than retail if they're not vintage or even still being sold new. The quality in their donations has also dipped; some items look a couple uses out from belonging in a landfill and it's harder to find true gems among the mediocrity. For things like electronics, video games, toys, and collectibles, the volunteers have increasingly turned to pricing things based on what eBay sellers charge, which, again, defeats the purpose of coming here. You'd also think the OMCA Women's Board was looking to get into the vintage clothing game with the way they've priced some of the items. If I wanted to get ripped off on vintage, I'd just shop from any number of the plethora of vintage shops in the Bay Area or online. As the years have passed, I've left with fewer items each time both due to the drop in quality and the spike in pricing. During COVID, the WES was held online for the first time and was a logistical mess, and the items they chose to list were pricey. Just a lot of art, expensive kimonos and jewelry, and a smattering of cheaper items that were lackluster and what you'd pass over at the show in person, with a handful of cool finds that of course got instantly scooped up. It feels like the OMCA is now catering to a very specific audience and weeding out people they think will spend less money at the show. While every sale day now has a max number of shoppers allowed in, everything else seems to be built around squeezing every dime they can out of people: increasing the price of the presale, charging a $5 entry fee for every sale day except the final sale weekend in March (there are now 16 days to shop instead of two), the price gouging, and now a 10% fee on every transaction which is considered "a premium for shopping early." They're the ones who've made the choice to provide significantly more shopping days, but have added on fees to purchases made during those days. They've also chosen to go cashless; shoppers can only pay with credit/debit cards or Apple Pay. The OMCA, which receives hundreds of thousands if not millions in donations, membership fees, and grants, is choosing to pass card transaction fees onto shoppers, on top of all the other price increases, and want you to feel good about it because all proceeds go to the museum. No thanks. In the WES's social media interactions with shoppers who've expressed disappointment with some of the recent changes, there's a sense of what feels like entitlement from the WES, as though they're owed our support no matter what they charge. Some of their replies are tinged with attitude -- how dare anyone criticize how they run things? I also think it's rich that they're asking customers to be kind to the volunteers when some of the volunteers who work the show have always been notorious for being impatient, rude, terse, snarky, and nasty no matter how nice you are to them. There are a lot of repeat volunteers who recognize repeat customers and are sweet and welcoming to everyone, but certainly not all the workers are very pleasant. The OMCA has made it clear who their preferred audience is and it's not longtime shoppers who've supported the show through generations (60+ years!) nor the longtime residents of the surrounding neighborhoods of East Oakland (like my family) who don't make six figures working in tech -- just their new neighbors who recently moved in. read more

Preview day. Love it, love it, loved it! My first time in attendance with my daughter and friend. I will make this an annual thing. So organized, volunteers were know age able, patience and kind. My type of ladies! Blew my mind, when the volunteer used her jeweler magnifying glass. I had no ideal what to expect. I really didn't think I would purchase anything. Once inside, I went straight to the jewerly. I found a beautiful real pearl bracelet and sterling silver bracelet. They put the jewelry in cute little cloth bags. The prices were surprisingly cheap. Then I found some brown Ray-Bans. Not a scratch on them plus a Ray-Ban case. The price was more than one third the retail price. Then I decided to go to the women's clothing section. I am a walker and I wanted to add to my winter walking gear. I purchased an Eddie Bauer yellow down jacket. Fit like a glove and only $10. I found two skull caps for $4 each a pink cashmere cap and a hand made tan skull cap. I enjoy knowing that the proceeds were for the Oakland Women's Museum. Now, I plan on visiting the museum. Afterward, we went home and we laid all our items on the table. My daughter and friend purchase a Waterford crystal decanter and six petite glasses for less than $115. I'm going back next Monday. read more

White Elephant Sale - Pearl and sterling silver bracelets - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

I LOVE this Sale. Just purchased a beautiful, like-new cashmere shawl as a birthday gift. So many treasures there. And the volunteers are really helpful and friendly read more

I heard about this fabulous rummage sale on the morning news years ago and went after work one year. I look forward to it every year since! If you like bargains and searching for treasure then this is your heaven. It's in a humongous warehouse. The preview sale is in January which is my birthday month. They have everything under the sun; clothes, housewares, electronics, furniture and the list goes on and on! A couple years ago I scored a beautiful bowl I use as my tip jar at work. The best part is that all the profits benefit the Oakland museum so it supports a good cause! Happy Shopping! read more

White Elephant Sale - Here is a picture of my tip jar I found a couple years ago! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

This was my first year going to WES and I will be there every year from here on out. What an amazing experience for thrifters! The people that put this together have a great method going. The home goods section was worth two trips for me, tons of PYREX and wood platters, beautiful glassware too. None of the stuff is "junk" so you don't feel like you're having to hunt, and the prices are made to be sold! I'll definitely be going on one of the earlier weekends next time around. Overall great experience. read more

Highly recommend , bought many interesting stuff & i'm so excited to go this year as well...

With 17 different departments, this sale has something for everyone. The unique and quality items are curated and priced to sell. The volunteers worked hard all year to bring you a memorable and fun-filled experience. read more

The White Elephant Sale is the greatest show in Oakland! So much neat and unusual items. I got an Eileen Fisher shirt for $14 and a book my husband wanted for $3. There's so much beautiful jewelry - earrings, pins and Native American rings, necklaces, and more!! Shop at the WES. read more

Amazing place. A huge warehouse filled withg amazing stuff. Treasures galore. And all the proceeds benefit the Oakland Museum. Check it out and get tickets for February shopping. www.WhiteElephantSale.org read more

The perfect blend of "never knew I needed this" and "it's just what I've been looking for!" OMCA's White Elephant Sale is a fantastic annual event. Be on the lookout for stuff you need and make time to browse around for surprises as well. Pricing runs from very inexpensive to high-end, but the value is usually very good on the expensive stuff. The volunteers are awesome and have great insight. Wear comfortable shoes, be patient, and dress warmly! (Bring some hand sanitizer for the porta potties too.) read more

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I love spending my money here because it supports the Oakland Museum. I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I shop the WES; there are surprises everywhere. I usually have items in mind to look for and I have had great success every time. Shopping here is a day well spent. The biggest part of the enjoyment is due to the kind, patient, sincere volunteers. They are so happy to help and seem genuinely glad to be there. read more

This is the Mothership of jumble sales!!! It's a really great way to spend a morning. I love it! It's run by a charming , eclectic band of retired people and they are all having fun. I got there early and chatted for hours to a lady in line. Everyone compares notes on what section they'll make a bee line for and what they're looking for. I love the art section. And the housewares. It's an eclectic, 90,000 square foot riot of color. Everything is incredibly organized. The shoppers chat to one another. And nice to know it's all a fundraiser for Oakland's Women's Museum read more

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Oh the treasures I find every year for my holiday crafts! Always quality stuff, curated so no worries about "junk." Limiting attendance with ticket sales makes for a less-crowded, pleasant experience. The sale is a well-oiled machine, and enthusiasm is always in air. Distance keeps me from going more than once a year, so I already look forward to 2024! Kudos to the volunteers, as well. (The parking, on the other hand, is really hit or miss!) read more

White Elephant Sale - Christmas can't come soon enough! - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

Treasures for one and allllll!! Each year a gaggle of us gals head to the White Elephant Sale for fun times and big scores! Over the years we've found all sorts of funky and funny things and gorgeous valuable items for spot on prices! Basically the warehouse is filled to the top with a treasure trove of treats - you just gotta dig in and not be shy to spend sometime searching around for something that will tickle your fancy. It is a tradition to head to the White Elephant on opening day as the sale is bubbling with energy and excitement but I also always go back a few additional times during the month so I can get a better look at the donated goods. Oh, and you wanna know the best part? The whole sale benefits the Oakland Museum - who doesn't love supporting our local museum! read more

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White Elephant's response to no longer accepting cash (still questioning the legality of that) is because they are in Oakland. Funny, they've been in Oakland for decades. How did they miss that? And no, never going back. The fifty dollar child's hankerchief helped to finalize that decision. This is no place to look for a bargain; it's a yearly antique shop. At least it's priced that way. I'm sure that people with money to spare will continue to attend and as for going on the last day..... Well, the place has been picked over for a month. No thanks. read more

Great deals and supports a great cause! I've been going to the preview for years and have occasionally shopped on other days.

The Annual White Elephant Sale is one of my favorite events. It's like a giant rummage sale / flea market, held in a huge warehouse crammed with vintage treasures and other used goods. You'll find everything divided into departments -- eg furniture, clothing (vintage and modern), kitchenware, jewelry, art, books, bric-a-brac (like Christmas goodies, candle holders, vases and random smalls), toys, books and so much more. I'm a vintage lover so I really love digging for fun handbags, dresses and jewelry...but I have friends who have found great gently used modern kitchen gear, lamps and furniture! All of this is to benefit our lovely Oakland Museum--so while the prices are all really really great (and tons of amazing deals!) it's not meant to be a blow out sale. It's meant to be a fundraiser! A few pro tips! You'll need a ticket for the Opening Weekend Sale. The crowds are big and lively for this one and you get first dibs on all the goodies! My friends and I really love it and go every year, but I know some people get overwhelmed. If you are not a fan of crowds, wait to go on one of the other days. You might not get first crack at all the treasures, but the place is truly filled to the brim and later shopping days are much more mellow! Overall a really fun experience and I have found so many cool treasures there! read more

I am not a member, so I did not go to the presale. I had a ticket a friend gave me, so I drove down on the 30th at 11:30 AM. I know the professionals raid the place in the presale, yada yada, but I figured it would be worth a look and it was a Thursday where most people would be working. No parking within a square km. OK. Went back the next day 30 minutes early. I found parking 5 blocks away and got to the gate to see a very long line of white haired people waiting to get in. Fair enough. I walked in and the very first thing I see are tarnished candelabra and bric a brac. The place is well organized with evidence of Boomers and their Greatest Generation parents working hard on their döstädning for the grands and Marie Kondo-ing for mom and dad (with the nice little tax write off). Really the only thing I was interested in was art supplies. Never buy second hand liquids of any kind. That's pretty much all that was there. I did pick up a wooden artists' box (for paint and brushes) and it was a royal mess of goop and paint splashes for 20 dollars (I attached a photo). I gave up and went to various well organized sections and found plant pots. All very overpriced. (I attached a photo of a chipped pot). The carpets caught my eye until I noticed a worker was wearing a dust mask and gloves to handle them. Nope. The place was filling up with white haired (mostly) people who were happily scooping things up. I'm not one of them, despite my hair heading towards the snowy end of the spectrum. I kept thinking of the hoarder houses in my circle of friends and don't want to go there. I found a Boudum coffee press labelled at $25. They sell at Target for $24.99. I left. The tl;dr is you will love this place if you are a flea market fiend (but it's not as fun as the Alameda flea market) or a hoarder. Parking is tight (especially since the place is gentrifying rapidly). The pricing is all over the place, mostly too high. I'll stick with Center for Creative reuse, personally. As for the museum, I think I will become a member and give them money instead of going through the WES to fund them. read more

White Elephant Sale - 10 dollars for a chipped flowerpot. No. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

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So much fun and great deals! Annual warehouse rummage sale didn't disappoint this year. From vintage kitchen items to holiday decorations, amazing fashion and more-, this is a sale for deal hunters and collectors alike. Can't wait to go again next year! read more

The White Elephant sale is an amazing resource. Whether you are looking for weird old things like art. Or collectibles. Or just need a gardening tool for really cheap. You just walk in here and everything is in a category like a store. Stock is replenished as the weeks go on so you can find stuff even if you are not an early bird. And here's my story about that. I'm a minor record collector. I went a few weeks after opening day because my wife bought opening day tix and got free passes to come back at a later date. I headed to the record section which had been ravaged by collectors. The bins were more than half empty and what was left was almost worthless. I went through all the $3 records. That's the majority. There are $1 records below and "collector" records along the sides, divided by category and priced individually. I found some valuable records in the $3 bins but all were totally trashed vinyl. Of course there were also a few Herb Alpert records but I have all those. I found one $3 record that I wanted. A 1950s Bongos record I didn't already have. Having only found one I begrudgingly searched through al the "collector" bins, Jazz, Soundtracks, World Music, etc. I found nothing. So I decided to use my last bit of energy to plow through the $1 bins below. I flipped fast cause it was all junk. There were about 10 boxes. In box number 9 I found an ultra rare Hawaiian / Exotica record that I did not already own. I was astonished. I looked around to see if anyone noticed. I put it in front and took a picture of it. I could not believe my eyes. There in the floor in the $1 bin was a $80 record. Hundreds of other collectors must have passed it by! And I got some other kind of discount like 20% off because it was later in the sale. This just happened last year so I have only told this story about 100 times. The White Elephant Sale is incredible and gave me this epic, lifelong story to share with you. read more

White Elephant Sale - $1 record bin yielded a rare gem - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oakland, California

I've been shopping this sale annually for over 35 years. Every year I find something amazing and unique.

I look forward to the White Elephant sale every year. I seriously reschedule vacations so that I don't miss the preview sale. Then I go back multiple times during the month that it is open because they are always putting new stuff out. I come for the vintage clothing and home goods. It's my favorite place to go dig. The volunteers that run the sales put SO much time into organizing the giant warehouse, and often will even clean/repair the items to make sure they have happy customers. There is a shuttle from Fruitvale BART on the main sale days, and it isn't too far of a walk from BART for the other days, if you don't want to drive. And, since the proceeds benefit the Oakland Museum of California, you know your money is going to a good place. THANK YOU WES!! read more

Museum with art, natural science, history and culture all centered on Oakland/Northern California, presented coherently and concisely so you can enjoy it in bite sized short visits or build your own adventure days: Much easier for kids or if you're busy. Like that many special exhibits are things you may not see anywhere else, tho some are def in line with big museums. The garden is great, and I've enjoyed music and other performances there. Before COVID precautions, really enjoyed the Friday night music / food trucks / special performances and activities. They have phone charger lockers next to the cafe entrance - brilliant and hope more places will start installing them. read more

That wonderful time of year has come - the White Elephant Sale, put on and benefitting the Oakland Museum - is on! See the website for guidelines - and follow the rules! ;). In order to shop the presale, during February, you must take a bag or box of good stuff and donate it to the sale. Again, check the website for the items they accept. For instance, clothing needs to be clean, not stained or stinky, etc. Stand in line, let them know what your donations are, and you'll receive two badges good for one entrance into the presale. Shopping the presale is the way to go. This allows you to be in a huge warehouse full of thrift store goodies - and you hardly notice that there are plenty of people shopping around you. If you wait until the public sale days in March, you will feel as though you're in a sardine can with elbows flying. So don't wait - shop the presale. Beware, instead of 10% tax, you are charged a 10% presale fee. It's for a good cause! Will you find everything you need to complete your life? NO! But almost. Yesterday I was looking for feathers for my daughter's latest hobby - fascinators. They actually had some fascinators in the hat section. I also did find the feathers in the craft section and bought several baggies for 25 cents, 50 cents and $1 each. I looked and touched so many good things. Alas, the space at home does not allow more willy-nilly purchasing of tsatchkes, aka tilichero. So, that's it. I bought feathers this time. I forgot to look for seafood forks. I'll be back!! read more

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