Bargain-Hunter Heaven Annual Junior League Sale Draws Crowds, Helps People
Through locked doors, Linda Cowling stared intently at a line of shopping carts at the Interstate Fairgrounds.
By 6:30 a.m. Saturday, the Spokane woman was the second person in line, waiting for the doors to open at the Junior League’s 72nd annual rummage sale.
“You grab everything you can,” she said, revealing the secret to her nine years of shopping success. “You can’t waste time looking at sizes. You just fill the cart.”
At 9 a.m., Cowling and 750 other mad shoppers elbowed their way through the doors and sprinted toward the carts.
Kerry Dasovich and her sister, Pam Simon, had a tough time finding each other once in the crowd of about 2,700. When they finally did meet up, each laughed at the other’s cart, overloaded with clothes, lamps and other goodies.
“How’d you do?” said Simon.
“Look at all this stuff,” said Dasovich. “I grabbed blazers for you.”
Shoppers traveled from Coeur d’Alene, Medical Lake, Tacoma and even as far away as Weippe, Idaho, and Noxon, Mont., for the celebrated spree.
Most people who attend the event say they do it because of the incredible bargains they find. All of the items are donated by Junior League members, who clear out their closets and stack up their Jones New York, Anne Klein and Liz Claiborne clothing, as well as their china, crystal, antiques, toys, sporting goods and furniture as rummage for the sale.
“My grandkids always look like they walked out of The Bon after we shop here,” said Ada Thompson, who lives on the South Hill. “This isn’t for everyone. Some people would die if they wore secondhand clothes. I would only do this for my grandchildren.”
Thompson and her daughter, Tracy Nielsen, have come for five years and each time, for $200, they snatch up an entire wardrobe for the children.
All the money raised will go to projects the organization is involved in such as the Foster Families Program, said Junior League President Kristi Blake. Last year, the league raised $14,000.
“We’re also attempting to get better known for our work in the community rather than an image,” said Blake.
Spokane’s Junior League formed in 1924. The group’s mission was to prepare single and newly married young women for their duties within the community: volunteer work. Members were known for having high-society tea parties, wearing pearls and white gloves and maintaining an exclusive membership.
“I’ve been involved for 17 years and I’ve never been to anything like that,” said Blake. At one time, potential members had to be sponsored by another member. Now, that’s not required. That change has had a significant impact on the organization’s ability to diversify its membership, Blake said.
Once a year, members pay about $150 in dues. They also have to be committed to volunteering their time with the organization and its many ongoing projects and donate $100 worth of goods for the sale.
“The rewards of being in the league are tremendous,” said O’Toole, event chairwoman. “You see these people come in and they’re here to buy presents for their families for Christmas or clothes for their children. It feels so good to help them.”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos