On August 23, 2025, I attended a southern California swap meet lovingly referred to as “Jard.Sale,” a portmanteau of “j-fashion” and “yard sale.” After a few years off, Jard.Sale made its triumphant return to southern California at the East Anaheim Community Center, chosen for its a) convenient parking and b) air conditioning. The Jard.Sale Instagram was buzzing with activity in the weeks leading up to the event, building hype and anticipation. A friend and I elected to split a large table, which was $65. Splitting the table meant I only had to make a sale of $32.50, and I was confident I could do that.
Set Up
Jard.Sale officially started at 11 AM, but sellers were encouraged to arrive at 10:15 to set up. I had every intention of arriving by 10:30, but ended up rolling in around 10:55. (I knew it was going to be a weird day when I saw rain drops on my windshield and my car thermometer said it was 85 outside, very unusual for Los Angeles in August!) What can I say, we run on ~ lolita central time ~. My friend and I scrambled to put up our rack as shoppers hovered near our table. Within 30 minutes, both my friend and I had sold enough that we earned back the $65 table. Nice!
Get your Jard On
Once we set up our table (and we had cooled down in the STRONG AC), my friend and I had time to survey the room, say hi to friends, and do some shopping ourselves. I saw some SoCal community members I hadn’t seen in many months, it was delightful to catch up with them. In addition, some friends from northern California traveled down for the week, and it was very fun to spend a few hours with them. Special shout out to bon.komera, who continues to spend his free time taking pictures at these events!
The event had more than 20 seller tables, some of which had more than one person selling. The clothes ranged from expensive lolita fashion dream dresses to casual kawaii styles like jirai kei or larme. The organizers also set up a free table in the corner, where people were welcome to put unwanted items they weren’t interested in selling. There were people hovering around the free table all day, scooping up treasures! Attendees also wore a wide variety of styles. I saw sweet, classic, and gothic lolita, as well as decora, gyaru, jirai kei, and some people in casual clothes so they could easily try things on. It was very cool to see the diversity in our community. While I’m all in on lolita fashion, I love that our Southern California j-fashion community has all kinds of styles represented!
One delightful thing I got to see at this swapmeet, was on several occasions, a friend would lean over to me and say, “You see that dress? I sold it to her!” “That purse used to be mine!” I know that many people struggle with getting rid of things in their closet, but I think that getting see an item loved in a new home is a really unique aspect of the EGL community!
The Jard Truth
RSVPs to the event nearly topped 200 people, and we had brisk foot traffic the whole day. I was very glad to have a friend to help me man the table because it meant that we could take turns with breaks or shopping. We had a lot of fun trying to talk people into buying our items, and just as much fun telling them why we were selling them (“Look, I’m going to be real with you, this dress is gorgeous but the fit is so weird. Try it on before you buy it.”) I ultimately sold 13 items, about half of what I brought. Unfortunately, I also walked away with 2 new items. While I did leave with fewer items, I didn’t need a new main piece (but it was hard to pass up 2014 Innocent World for $70!)
Honestly, 5 hours flew by, and it was 4 PM before we knew it. My friend and I packed up our goods (much less than we had before) and took a much needed boba break before heading back to Los Angeles. I hope that Jard.Sale returns next year because I’d love to visit again!