For Oakland second-hand shoppers, the White Elephant rummage sale is like Black Friday

Victoria Shartzer arrived for the annual White Elephant sale at 8:30 a.m. Saturday — but this wasn’t her first rodeo. For the last 15 years, Shartzer has lined up early outside the warehouse on Glascock Street. For the first time, she was at the front of it. 

“You come for the things you never knew you needed,” Shartzer said. “It’s the thrill of the search.”

“Everything I’m wearing is second hand, except my underwear and my bra,” she continued, pointing out her almost entirely White Elephant outfit. 

The sale, which funds educational programs at the Oakland Museum of California, was sold out and doors didn’t open until 10 a.m. But that didn’t stop anyone from lining up to get a jump on the more than 96,000 square feet of vintage goodies. 

Like Shartzer, second-in-line sisters Marilyn and Gail Simmons have been coming to White Elephant for just over 15 years. 

“This is our Disneyland. We’re collectors,” Marilyn said.

What started as a tradition between sisters, scouring for vintage linens and sewing machines, has been passed down to the next generation through Gail’s daughter, Andrea, who invited friends this time around. 

Returning to Oakland for its 67th year, the White Elephant claims to be the biggest rummage sale in Northern California. It features over 18 departments of collected goods, from vintage china and marionette puppets to boutique clothing. Running on select days from Jan. 29 until March 1, the sale ends with a clearance sale and no admission fee. 

The Oakland Museum Women’s Board markets it as “the most colossal, stupendous, and mind-boggling rummage sale you could ever imagine – and then some,” taking second-hand shopping to the next level. And long-time attendees agree: “It’s like an estate sale on crack,” said Angela Willoughby, who’s been coming to the sale for four years. 

Once the doors opened, bargain hunters rushed in with reusable bags in hand. Over 1,200 people had entered the building before 11 a.m., with a standby line forming. 

The sale has been an Oakland mainstay for just over half a century, raising over $36 million for museum programming and exhibits. Last year, it generated $2.9 million in sales, with $2 million going to the museum, according to Women’s Board Co-Chair Renata Dowdakin. 

---

---

White Elephant is a year-round operation that culminates in the massive sale. With only a few employees who drive the trucks or manage the building, the sale heavily relies on over 1,000 volunteers — about 300 on any given sale day, Dowdakin said. They do the heavy lifting, sorting and pricing donated items, selling tickets and checking people in. 

Some volunteers get to follow their passion, even in retirement. People who have spent their careers working in camera shops or their free time taking apart and putting together sewing machines are in the warehouse testing, pricing and selling the products. 

“I think they gravitate a lot towards what they want to do or what they like, or what their skills are,” Dowdakin said. 

“There was a guy in the back of electrical who worked in a stereo shop, and now he’s retired and he does the same thing,” she noted. 

Items are donated throughout the year and organized by volunteers. The warehouse is set up like a department store, with each section having its own department and cashiers. But this department store carries only second-hand items. 

Looking for a restored 1950s sewing machine? Check out the textile department and meet the person who fixed it. Need a pair of Rollerblades or a fancy going out top? Check out the outdoor gear section and women’s clothing corner. Selling everything from oboe reeds and 50 Cent CDs to sterling silver, White Elephant has every second-hand item imaginable.

Volunteers hope the sale breaks the $3 million mark this year, Dowdakin said.  You can see the funds at work this month, at the museum’s 25th annual Lunar New Year celebration on Feb. 21, as well as the “Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain” exhibit, about the displacement of Black communities in Oakland, which runs through March 1.  

---

In viral videos and the street, 9-year-old turf dancer embodies the Oakland-made art form’s future