MONTROSE – The first citywide yard sale held in downtown Montrose back in May was so popular that the Montrose Association of Commerce and Tourism decided to do it again next week.
The idea was simple: Block off a couple of city streets, rent space cheap, and invite the whole town to clean out closets and garages and get rid of stuff others might want. And you don’t have to take anything back home if you don’t want to. The Habitat for Humanity truck will be standing by to take care of any leftovers.
The event last spring covered several city blocks and sellers rented about 40 spaces, each around the size of a parking space, about 10 by 10 feet. Spaces rent for $10 each, and multiple spaces can be rented, said Polly Hohlenkamp, chair of Montrose ACT’s Retail Enhancement Council, which organized the sale.
The sale will be held on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. To reserve a space, stop by the Montrose ACT building at 1519 East Main Street or register online at www.montroseact.com. For questions, call 249-5000.
The city yard sale last May coincided with the Great U.S. 50 Yard sale held in locations across the country, but this one is dubbed the “Hunt Here Yard Sale” to tie in with the current hunting season. The sale is a great way to get people to come downtown, Hohlenkamp said, especially in light of the fact that Main in Motion, the weekly summer event downtown, has ended for the year.
“I think it gives us another opportunity in the fall season to bring people out,” she said. “We’re giving people the opportunity to sign up, and those at the last minute are welcome.”
Hohlenkamp said setting up the yard sale is not labor intensive, since people bring their own tables and chairs and do their own pricing.
“It’s a chance to come out to Main Street, see each other, and get a great deal,” she said. “It saves gas, everyone is downtown and it’s a visible thing.”
Sellers, including nonprofit groups, can set up their display any way they want, but they can’t sell firearms or ammunition, said Stacey Ryan, Communications and Member Coordinator at Montrose ACT.
East Main Street will be blocked off from Townsend Ave. to Uncompahgre Ave., Ryan said, and if the first citywide yard sale is any indication, there should be plenty of action.
“It was really hoppin’,” she said. “We even had somebody leave by 11 [a.m.] because they had sold out of everything.”
That somebody was Scott Heald, who brought a trailer full of stuff he wanted to get rid of, including a motorcycle and a portable sauna.
“It was phenomenal, with a great turnout, and was quite an event,” he said after last year’s sale.
Glee Westcott, owner of Tiffany’s Etc., put merchandise on the sidewalk to sell during the downtown yard sale last spring, but said afterwards that she also saw more business inside her store.
“I wasn’t really expecting that, but they came in my store and shopped and looked around,” she said after the first city yard sale. “It was a nice event and hopefully more of our merchants will do sidewalk sales in the future.”
Ryan said she also hopes more merchants will participate and that a lot of people attend. Some of the sellers will be people who travel the flea market circuit, she said, but most will be locals getting rid of their old junk.
Ken Brengle, executive director of Montrose ACT, is also hoping for a big turnout next week.
“We’re hoping people see they can bring their stuff downtown and actually sell something,” he said. “Hopefully it will increase.”
Post a Comment
