Get ready, get set for Liberty Lake Yard Sale
Shelli Dickinson found out just how big the annual Liberty Lake Yard Sale is when she dropped off some promotional material at a printer.
“I went into Office Depot to get an estimate and as soon as I opened the folder, I had five people around me all wanting to know when it was and what was going to be in it,” Dickinson laughed. “That was a real eye-opener.”
The 13th annual Liberty Lake Yard Sale will be next Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. As usual, a map and guide to Liberty Lake homes hosting sales on that day will be available at Liberty Lake area businesses Friday after 4 p.m.
This year, for the first time, that map also will be made available online at www.libertylakeyardsale.org. The site includes an address where questions can be e-mailed. Replies are sent out promptly.
“People ask all the time why we wait until Friday afternoon to give out the maps,” Dickinson said. “I tell them that it’s out of respect for our neighbors. We don’t want them to be pestered by people trying to see their items on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Shoppers trying to get in early is one of the challenges of the annual citywide series of yard sales. Bargain hunters begin queuing up at 6 a.m. in hopes of getting in the first shot at in-demand items.
“We encourage people to just raise their prices before 8 a.m.,” Dickinson said. “It’s not fair to the people who play by the rules to have others swoop in early.”
The numbers for this year’s sale will likely be up once shopping begins Saturday morning. Last year 260 homes were listed on the map. This year there could be closer to 300.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“Those are only the homes that register with us,” Dickinson said. “That doesn’t count the homes that just put out a table and have a sale. “
And some families combine resources to hold just one sale.
“That’s what we’re doing at my house,” Dickinson said. “We have three families all coming to my house.”
After a dozen years, the yard sale has made an impact on residents.
“I know I started looking for things to put in the sale starting in January,” Dickinson said. “I put them in a corner of my garage. You know the sale is coming and you just prepare for it.
“The nice thing about having the sale when we do is that we get it all out of the way early. There are still a few yard sales here and there over the summer, but for the most part, you get it over with all on one day.”
Yard sale day in Liberty Lake is big and traffic at the various sales is brisk. Shoppers must keep in mind that traffic rules in the city of Liberty Lake are enforced. Parking in front of people’s driveway or in front of fire hydrants is prohibited, as is double parking.
It’s difficult to estimate just how many people converge on Liberty Lake on yard sale day.
“There are rumors of people coming from as far away as New York state,” Dickinson said. “I’ve heard of families planning their vacations around coming here for the yard sale.”