Junior League bargains abound

An enthusiastic crowd on the lookout for bargains began lining up early Saturday to shop at the Junior League’s annual rummage sale at the former CompUSA store at 808 N. Ruby St.

“We had people lined up at 6:30 a.m.,” said sale organizer Marianne Guenther. The doors were scheduled to open at 8 a.m. “They were from here down to the streetlight. People ran in. They almost knocked me over.”

Just about any item a bargain-minded shopper could want was spread across tables inside the cavernous building. There were the usual books, clothing, shoes, furniture and knickknacks. But shoppers could also find an old manual typewriter, records by Luciano Pavarotti and The Oak Ridge Boys, and a framed certificate announcing that Lt. Col. Maurice C. Shumaker was transferred to the United States Air Force retired reserve on July 1, 1968.

The sale also was a good place to find Christmas ornaments or stock up on rolls of wrapping paper at 50 cents each.

Members of the Junior League have been collecting items to sell for the past year. Donations were down this year, Guenther said, particularly the higher-end items. Some of the more expensive items being sold on consignment, including a basketball signed by the Gonzaga men’s basketball team and a life-size Yoda, weren’t seeing much interest.

The group hoped to bring in $15,000 during the sale.

“I don’t know if we’ll make it,” Guenther said.

Even if Guenther was worried about meeting the fundraising goal, she was happy that shoppers were finding items to take home.

“I like having low prices and having people get a deal,” she said.

By early afternoon the morning crush had subsided, but the parking lot was still packed and empty spots were snapped up quickly. Most of the shoppers were women, some with husbands or boyfriends trailing along with questionable patience. Many of the men gravitated toward the books and records in the back of the room.

Shopper Peggy VanDeLeest spent a lot of time picking through tables piled high with artificial flowers. “I’m putting on a spring tea for our ladies at church tomorrow,” she said. “The flowers will make awesome centerpieces. Now I don’t have to go to the store and buy real flowers. People can take these home.”

VanDeLeest has shopped the annual sale before. “I bought a whole carload of stuff last year,” she said. “I enjoy it. You never know what’s here. It’s for a good cause.”

VanDeLeest said raising money for local charities is more important than ever this year. “There are so many needy people out there,” she said. “It breaks your heart sometimes.”

The money raised by the sale is used to fund the Junior League’s work with Rebuilding Together Spokane, which matches volunteers with homes and nonprofits that need maintenance work done, and an annual breakfast with Santa that serves about 400 foster children. All the children get presents and a breakfast at Northern Quest Casino.