Examining yard sales in Fayetteville, a rural West Virginia town

The informal economy has been a widely studied topic as the economy has changed with a shift from primary to secondary industries. The informal economy is a particular topic of interest in West Virginia, a state with a depressed economy where many citizens participate in informal activities to supplement their income. Yard sales are an understudied informal activity, and one the researcher saw occurring often in rural Fayetteville, West Virginia. A study utilizing in-depth interviews was completed and sought to answer who participated in yard sales, how extensively they participated, and why. It was found that reasons for participation were for social reasons as well as monetary gain, and people were reluctant to deem their involvement as a business activity. Yard sales didn't prove to be the main informal economic activity of Fayetteville, West Virginia, but provided valuable information as to their importance in the realm of informal economic activity.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Sociology and Anthropology

Year dc:date.available

2000

Author dc:creator

• Wood, Kimberly Dawn

Contributors dc:contributor

• F. Carson Mencken.
• Ronald Althouse
• Joseph Simoni

• Social structure
• Geography
• American studies

Identifier

https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/777

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:researchrepository.wvu.edu:etd-1780