GARAGE SALE ARTICLES

Go the whole nine yards

Instead of going it alone, why not pool advertising resources with your neighbors and host a street-wide yard sale?

This will, of course, take a little more organizing, especially the first time around, but if you make your street’s yard sale an annual event, it could become legendary throughout your town.

The main advantage of pooling resources is that you’ll be able to take out a larger advertisement in your local newspaper, buy more advertising signs, and even do a concerted letter box drop, thereby concentrating more visitors into your neck of the woods.

Things you’ll need to consider are:

• ensuring everyone who expresses an interest in the idea is kept in the loop - a temporary yard sale taskforce may be necessary here;
• ways you can minimize the impacts on neighbors who aren‘t interested in participating;
• appointing a single contact person the local authorities can touch base with if needs be;
• getting everyone’s financial contribution up front before you spend any money;
• giving the person who organizes the street sale this year a break the next year;
• to make the day as much a social day as a business day - that way the reputation of your neighborhood yard sale as a fun day out will spread; and
• what other pooling opportunities, other than advertising, exist - for instance, the more entrepreneurial of your neighbors may wish to get together to operate a children’s jumping castle, or a food stall.

Getting together with your neighbors will not only increase your yard sale’s exposure, but will inject a good deal of community spirit into your suburb!