By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
People arrived at the Wood County Humane Society’s Garage Sale Preview Night on Wednesday prepared to find just what they needed, even if they didn’t know what that was.
The throngs of experienced garage salers lugged giant totes, pushed rolling carts, and pulled wagons ready to be filled to the brim with anything that caught their eyes.
Wednesday night’s preview event was an experiment to see if people would pay $10 to get that first look at all the bargains on sale, compared to the free admission today (Thursday) and Friday.
The decision to add the preview night and discontinue the Saturday date was part of a larger goal to “simplify” the event, explained Joe Schroeder, who, with his wife Stephanie, coordinates the details of the humane society’s garage sale. Eliminating the sale on Saturday reduces volunteer exhaustion and allows them to clean up on that date and have the rest of the Memorial Day Weekend to relax.
Though there were a few squawks that the Wednesday night event replaced the sale on Saturday, the turnout for the preview was spectacular. “People started lining up as early as 3 p.m. for the 5 p.m. opening,” Schroeder said.
Within about 15 minutes, they collected $1,300 from people eager to be among the first to scour the aisle after aisle of goods.
Amy Nalepka, who was elbow-deep in a pile of Bowling Green Bobcat wearables, was happy to pay $10 for the preview night. “A lot of people might not want to spend $10 to get in early, but for the animals, it’s worth it,” she said.
The garage sale, celebrating its 32nd year, is the humane society’s cornerstone fundraiser, Schroeder said. It plays a critical role in funding daily operations, medical care and shelter services.
“It couldn’t happen without the volunteers who give of their time and the community that supports us,” including those people who donate items for the sale and those who come to shop the sale, he said.
“The volunteers are the rock stars,” he said. “Every single one of these volunteers has probably a minimum of 10 years that they’ve been doing it. Everybody just comes together, kind of like family.”
Each volunteer has their own specialty, whether it is helping to sort items when them come in, help with the checkout, or be that smiling face to answer questions or point people in the right direction.
With this year’s sale consolidated into one building instead of two to save about $2,500 in expenses, Schroeder asked his volunteers how to accommodate all the items in under one roof. He praised the sisters who lead the clothing department. “They worked and mapped and planned,” how to make it work.
Jane Mitchell, one of the sisters, stood among the piles of clothes helping shoppers to navigate the largest area of items. There were some racks with clothes hanging up, but most everything was in piles because of space limitations, she told one of the shoppers.
Because her family had four dogs, three of them rescues, she started shopping at the sale to support the humane society. Eventually, she started volunteering. Almost 10 years later, she is still happy to contribute her time “for the animals.”
Danielle Kroggel and her daughter Juliet were sorting through a bin of baby clothes in anticipation of Juliet’ becoming a big sister soon. The curly-headed Juliet was also pretty happy because she got to pick out a new-to-her toy.
In addition to the massive collection of clothes for all ages, sizes and styles,, the sale was organized in sections, including kitchenwares, household goods, sporting equipment, travel, decorations for any holiday or celebration, and a media center with music CDs, albums, movies and books galore.
The puzzle section was impressive with stacks of puzzles ready for putting together. A puzzle globe was for sale; however, because it was already assembled, the buyer would have a finshed globe for display.
Like most, Breck Smith was one of those shoppers who came prepared. She stood by a large pile of blankets and comforters waiting for her husband to bring the oversized wagon, already full of items and their two children.
“I come every year, and this year I’m also shopping for my mother, who couldn’t come,” she said. She found a must-have bed comforter that was like one she recalled from her childhood. She also found some bedding that her daughter can grow into in a few years.
Virginia Marks, a retired BGSU music faculty member, was looking for gardening items to feed her gardening passion. In her rolling tote, she had found two large jars of nails and screws that she planned to give to her grandson who at 19 years old just bought his first fixer-upper house.
The shoppers are also key to the sale’s success, Schroeder said.
“The people that buy from the sale are so generous. As I sit here listening to people checking out, I hear the cashier say, ‘That will be $16,’ and the shopper will say, ‘Just make it $20.’ I’ve never seen generosity like this.” He attributes some of the generosity to people’s love of animals and the humane society’s strong stewardship of the money.
The garage sale runs today (Thursday, May 21) and Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Wood County Fairgrounds grandstand building, 13,000 square feet of merchandise. Clothing ais priced at five for $1, and for those who are looking for a bigger bargain,a $3 fill-a-bag sale begins at 3 p.m. on Friday.
