Port Alice to host town-wide yard sale in August

WRITTEN BY DEBRA LYNN

The village of Port Alice will be “Shangri La” for bargain hunters when it puts on a town-wide yard sale on August 6th from 8 am to 3 pm.

The project was initiated by Jeanine Nicholson who has “always had a weakness for a good yard sale.” She says, “The possibility of finding a deal on something you need or stumbling upon a kitschy green glass dog that makes you smile every time you look at him, gives me vicarious treasure hunter thrills. There are so many pre-pandemic experiences that are opening again, I couldn’t resist the idea of organizing a town-wide yard sale.”

Where she grew up, in a town called Lucan in Ontario, Nicholson says, “Every town had a town-wide yard sale day, and my weekends were planned primarily around which town’s sale was happening.” Her husband, Ryan, encouraged her to post the possibility of a yard sale on Facebook and the response was very enthusiastic. She posted a poll to select a day and that is how August 6th was arrived at.

Anyone who would like to participate is welcome.

They can email Nicholson at jeaninenicholson@outlook.com and provide her with their address. She will be creating a map of Port Alice detailing where all the yard sales can be found and will share it on Facebook.

There is space available in the parking lot at the Community Center for anyone who does not have the space to set out their yard sale items. They can email Nicholson to reserve a spot. This can be for residents, or even out-of-town vendors. Nicholson already has several people on her list, “I have new people sending me their addresses regularly and we are still over a month away from game day.”

Nicholson hopes “that it is a beautiful day and that people set up in their driveways, kids sell lemonade and cookies on corners, our local entrepreneurs set up tables to display their handmade wares and we entice people in from the other Ports to spend time browsing and enjoying our businesses and our beautiful view.” She has put up posters in Port Hardy and Port McNeill to invite people to drive over. She says, “This is truly a case of ‘the more, the merrier.’”

Nicholson says she would be “extraordinarily gratified” if this turned into an annual event. “At this point,” she adds, “…I am focused on making this year happen and then I can think about next year.”

Nicholson is a teacher but is presently staying at home with her children. Her family moved to Port Alice 9 months ago from Nanaimo. She says how “I have been continually impressed by the people of Port Alice, with their willingness to get involved and their welcoming spirit.” She adds, “I think I am organizing this event by default because I was the one to suggest it and I love an organizational challenge.”

Nicholson has been informed that Port Alice has had town-wide yard sales in the past, and that they were “a good time.” She says, “Hopefully, history sees fit to repeat itself!”