Kevin Buck Wetmore
Born February 1st, 1969 in Chessier, CT to an abusive, alcoholic fisherman of a father and a stellar bargain-hunter of a mother, Buck’s yardsale style clearly draws from his youth. While his father was away at sea, he and his mother spent their time at yardsales, flea markets, swap meets, thrift stores— anywhere that promised Buck and his mother a good deal. From her he was able to acquire the finesse and eye for value that is vital to a pro-sumer. Another great deal of his time was devoted to reading and writing. He also spent a lot of time reading comic books, bought for him by his father to make up for long absences. When his father was home, they spent most of their time in front of the television watching classic movies ranging from 8 and ½ to the Seventh Seal to Seven Samurai to Fists of Fury. A big Bruce Lee fan— complete with framed poster and all. While reading up on him, Buck’s interest in eastern philosophies flourished. According to him, he is for the most part influenced by Zen Buddhism. In ’76, the abuse became too much for his mother. They moved out to Los Angeles and soon returned to their bargain-hunting groove. When he came of age, Buck began to hunt for yardsales on his own but did continue to shop with his mother. It was in high school that Buck befriended his future “yardsailing” companion Scott. Together, they ravaged many a yard throughout high school, college, and beyond. Buck also continued to hone his writing skills by becoming a member of his high school’s newspaper. He went on to write for the Cal State Los Angeles Inquisitor during his college years. It was during this time that he was given the opportunity to interview Kay. Using the interview as a pretext, Buck followed her around for three consecutive weekends, observing and absorbing her skill and technique. He and Scott then went on to modify and perfect a system that suited their styles and worked together quite successfully for years until they had a nasty fallout. At one point, Buck managed a small store (“The Junkyard”) where he re-sold his items; priced low enough so that they were still a bargain, but high enough so that he was able to survive. These days, Buck re-sells his goods thru eBay. Buck lives in a modest apartment laden with boxes full of vintage goods, some of which once belonged to his mother. He continues to bargain hunt like a pro with his new partner Roscoe. Buck and Roscoe had crossed paths many a time while yardsailing though it was only after a tense “vendor vs. pro-sumer” face-off at Roscoe’s yardsale one day that brought them together (a scene they will faithfully re-enact for us). Buck admired Roscoe’s innate hunting-sense, Roscoe Buck’s intestinal fortitude when haggling. Noticing that their routes closely matched each other’s they immediately hit it off and joined forces.