This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Let's Celebrate – A Clean Garage

Westchase's Fall Community Garage Sale is Oct. 1. It gives residents the perfect opportunity to clean out their garages and make some extra spending money. Here are some tips from That Creative Mom to make your sale a success.

It is that time of year again and Westchase will be holding its Fall Community Garage Sale, this Saturday, October 1st from 8a.m. - 1p.m.

While some residents look forward to participating in the treasure hunt, others prepare to cash in on their unwanted household items, toys, clothing and more.  If you are planning to sell, here are few tips from ThatCreativeMom to help make your sale a success and your garage a little less cluttered.

Organize. Even before the sale begins, you need to find and organize the items that you want to sell. Clean them if necessary (you’ll make more money), tag them with a price and box them with like items until the day of the sale. You can pick up pre-priced labels at your local dollar store.

Create your signage. Don’t count on others to put up signs at the front of your subdivision. Even though this is a community garage sale, you’ll get more traffic with your own sign.

Set up your cash box. Both Tupperware or a margarine tub makes a good place for bills and loose coins. Make sure you have cash for change before the sale begins.

Create your “store.” On the day of the sale, break out your folding tables and create sales tables by either price or like items.  Think flow, your sales tables should make it easier for your customers to find what they want and move on to the next table. If you choose to organize by like items, create a separate “fire sale” table to move those small miscellaneous pieces.  

Make your displays attractive. Cover your tables with a table cloth or solid-sheet if you have them. If you’re selling clothes, hang them up or have them folded neatly on a table. You’ll make more money than if you put them out in boxes for everyone to rummage through. Set large pieces and furniture away from the tables so customers can have easy access to view and inspect them.

Be ready before the sale begins. Display everything at the beginning of the sale. Don’t hold the “good stuff” out for later. You want every opportunity to make a sale.

After the sale is over, avoid the urge to put any leftover items back in the garage. Take advantage of the Goodwill drop offs and you’ll be helping others and able to enjoy a clean garage at the same time.

Good luck and “Happy Garage Sale-ing!”

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Westchase