I decided today that I need to get busy with some serious spring cleaning, so I figured it was time for an impromptu yard sale! After dragging a folding table out to the front yard, I put a few books, toys, and household goods on the table with a sign: "YARD SALE. Contribute what you think is fair; all $ goes to the Central-Cocoanut Neighborhood Scavenger Hunters."
Before I knew it, people were coming over not only to check out the goods, but to contribute items too! Tim brought over some furniture. 15-year-old Hope brought some books, stuffed animals, and posters. One person from outside our neighborhood who stopped by and bought a few things even said she'd come back later with a bag of clothes to contribute!
Before I knew it, people were coming over not only to check out the goods, but to contribute items too! Tim brought over some furniture. 15-year-old Hope brought some books, stuffed animals, and posters. One person from outside our neighborhood who stopped by and bought a few things even said she'd come back later with a bag of clothes to contribute!
The neighborkids started getting into it, and wanted to take turns "staffing" the table, so we got the Scavenger Hunters "cashbox" out of the cabinet to deposit the earnings. Kids started putting items on "lay-away" and then running home to get their money. Kids who didn't have money started raking leaves for 50 cents a bag, and then using their earnings to make yard sale purchases.
After several hours, when it seemed that we weren’t likely to get any more visitors, and everybody present had selected all of their purchases, we decided to count up the money and call it a day. It turns out we made over $80 at the impromptu yard sale!
As we were cleaning up, our neighbor John, who lives on the other side of the park at Renaissance Manor, stopped by and made a "prize find" among the items that were left over. He discovered what he described as a “Detention Bible.” It was a bible with a stamp in the front that indicated it was given to someone as part of a juvenile detention ministry. John said it would be great inspiration for a poem, and told us he’d show us the poem someday, once he wrote it.
Amazing how something like an impromptu yard sale can wind up drawing people together to contribute and exchange resources with one another, ultimately generating more enthusiasm, creativity, and even dollars than we expected at the start.
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