He wasn't sure how Larissa would react, and he didn't want to make her mad. So instead, he simply teased her. It's when middle-class Americans clean out all the junk in their closets, attics, and basements. Instead a throwing it all away, they haul it out to the garage and sell it. They advertise by tacking up signs all over the neighborhood.
People come round and they buy stuff.
That's what a garage sale is. And if they selling stuff that use to belong to a dead person, they call it an estate sale. Only people just sell stuff on the street. He stole a brief glimpse at Dmitra, who was pretending to be engrossed in a conversation with Tammy Sue. Maybe I have my own garage sale when I get home from this tour.