By Michele Christian, 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 Second Annual Town Wide Yard Sale on Saturday, April 13, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. in an effort to raise money to keep fireworks going in Abington during Founder’s Day Weekend in June.
Whether you’re a bargain hunter or have one of the 40+ yard sale registered locations, Abington Celebrates is hoping for a busy, exciting day for all. More than doubling the number of participant registrations and item donations from last year, there will now by two Abington Celebrates Yard Sale locations: North School at 171 Adams St. and Griffin’s Dairy at 326 Plymouth St.
In addition, Sarcastic Swine, Cream, and Mal’s Kitchen have generously offered to donate a portion of their sales on Saturday, April 13, to Abington Celebrates, giving shoppers a chance to stop for breakfast, lunch/dinner and dessert. The Abington Lions Club will once again offer their “world-famous” hamburgers and hot dogs at the North School, and Perfectly Flavah’d will serve coffee and donuts at Griffin’s Dairy. No one will be shopping hungry.
“It was wonderful last year seeing the community come together and we are looking forward to more unity this year,” said Abington Celebrates Chairperson Michele Coyle. “Shoppers will have a ton of chances to find great bargains and registered residents can make some money on their own. The sponsoring restaurants get lots of advertisement and hopefully Abington Celebrates will raise a good amount for the fireworks on June 8th. This event is a win for all involved.”
Shoppers are encouraged to visit the Abington Celebrates Facebook page for the yard sale digital map. Printed flyers with the address listings and QR code for the digital map will be available at the Abington Celebrates yard sale locations and any registered location the day of the yard sale.
To prepare for the Town Wide Yard Sale, the committee looks to the expertise of fellow committee member and “Abington’s Favorite Pirate”, Mike Carini, owner of Blackbeard, Inc., to spearhead the event. Blackbeard, Inc. specializes in estate sales and rubbish removal.
“We are so fortunate to have our community come together and embrace this event again for a town we have all grown to love,” added Carini.
“Last year, some folks even donated the money made from their own yard sales to local organizations or a family in need,” added Coyle.
Whether you are hosting a yard sale on Saturday, 4/13 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, 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 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 and donate 50% of the quoted dump fees to Abington Celebrates.
Hosting community-wide events is nothing new for Abington Celebrates. Heading into its 9th year, the hardworking committee hosts three annual signature weekend-long events: Founders Day Weekend, Oktoberfest and Christmas. The group is not supported by tax dollars and relies wholly on private fundraising and donations held in a gift account administered by the Town of Abington. However,
For more information, follow Abington Celebrates on Facebook or email abingtoncelebrates@gmail.com.
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