By Michele Coyle, For Abington News
Yard sale season is upon us! The weather is finally warming up and folks are spring cleaning and de-cluttering. One may find they have items they longer need such as clothes, games, dishes, random stuff from junk drawers, old toys, shoes, electronics – you name it — and want to lighten their load and perhaps make a little money as well. Out with the old and in with the new (to you) items!
To kick off yard sale season, Abington Celebrates is holding its First Annual Town Wide Yard Sale this Saturday, April 15th from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Proceeds will help pay for the fireworks display during Founder’s Day Weekend in June.
Whether you’re a bargain hunter or have one of the 30+ yard sale registered locations, Abington Celebrates is hoping for a busy, exciting day for all.
Folks are encouraged to start their bargain hunting at 8 a.m., at Abington Celebrates’ main location at North School to pick up a flyer with a digital map and address listings of all yard sales in town. The North School is also the site of the official Abington Celebrates yard sale, consisting of items generously donated to the organization.
In addition, Sarcastic Swine is donating 10 percent of their sales on Saturday to Abington Celebrates, and Cream will donate 13 percent of their sales in honor of their 13th year. The Abington Lions Club will also be offering their popular hamburger and hot dog menu at the North School.
All “Town Participant” yard sale signs were donated by Lindo Realty.
Hosting community wide events is nothing new for Abington Celebrates. The committee hosts three signature weekend events per year: Founders Day Weekend, Oktoberfest and Christmas. All Abington Celebrates events are paid for through private fundraising efforts and donations to the group’s gift account. The group does not receive any tax dollars.
However, to prepare for its first town wide yard sale, they commandeered the expertise of fellow committee member, and Abington’s “favorite pirate,” Michael Carini, owner of Blackbeard, Inc., which specializes in estate sales and rubbish removal.
“We are so fortunate to have our community come together and embrace this event for a town we have all grown to love,” said Carini.
Whether hosting a yard sale this Saturday or in the future, Carini offers tips for a successful yard sale:
- Add your own signs around town.
- Make sure you have small bills and change.
- Play music to set a happy mood.
- Have shopping bags on hand so folks can take treasures home easily.
- Have snacks and drinks, or let kids set up a lemonade stand.
- Be prepared for negotiations. Everyone wants a bargain, so it’s in the nature of the avid yard sale enthusiast to ask for a deal.
- Consider “early birds” (those that arrive before scheduled time) as it is mostly the people that do this for a living and typically spend the most money. A majority of sales are done in the first few hours.
- Use your own best judgement, you will succeed!
It’s common that folks won’t sell everything they put out. Most of the time it ends up on the on curb or given away for free. As an added bonus for Abington Celebrates, Blackbeard has offered this year’s yard sale participants their company’s services (up to one week after the Town Wide Yard Sale) to dispose of any unwanted items/trash. Half of the quoted dump fees will be donated to Abington Celebrates.
For more information, follow Abington Celebrates on Facebook or email abingtoncelebrates@gmail.com.
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