Building on last year’s huge success, I organized the Tunbridge Wells town-wide Yard Sale again last month. And what a fun day it was, with over 130 participants setting up stalls all over town!
This big free community event is like a car boot sale, with participants selling from their front gardens or driveways. A website plots them on an interactive map, allowing browsers to find them.
The day was a great opportunity to have a clear out, raise some funds for a purpose of choice, meet the neighbors and have a good time! We were also able this time to introduce the pick-up of unsold and unwanted items at the end of the day. This proved very successful and a total of 9 van loads were taken away from grateful stall holders!
What started as an idea for a fun community day is now proving to be a bit more than that. I had some touching stories from participants about what an impact the event had made for them. One is from a hoarder who took the opportunity to make some really tough decisions. Another is from a couple who had at long last decided to tackle their loft. Clutter can really weigh us down and make us feel trapped, so grabbing an opportunity to make a small change can truly have a huge impact.
In addition to the participants enjoying the day, this year we noticed an increase in visitors who had come to our town especially to browse the Yard Sale. It felt quite special to think that I had organized something that involved so many people, many of whom I didn’t even get the chance to meet or see.
And as the event grows in Tunbridge Wells, it is also spreading to other communities. We have our first website licence agreement for July 2019, when the neighboring town of Crowborough will run its first town-wide Yard Sale. So if it’s something that you would like to bring to your community, get in touch!
In the meantime, we are taking a break and looking forward to planning next year’s Tunbridge Wells town-wide Yard Sale.
