The Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood stretches from the water of Burrard Inlet to Broadway and is wedged between Clark Drive and Nanaimo Street. It's comprised of heritage homes, Vancouver special bungalows, apartments, and condos on tree-lined streets. And if you've ever wondered who lives there, or what their lives might look like, next weekend offers a peek inside the community with a neighbourhood-wide garage sale.
The Great Grandview Garage Sale, the biggest of its kind in Vancouver, opens up the community and its treasures to the general public for one day. On Saturday, June 18, the event—which is similar to the East Van Culture Crawl just with garage sales—will take place rain or shine and people can expect to find vinyl records, vintage clothing, toys, and books by the box full.
In 2019, the last time this event was held there were over 200 participating garage sales in the area. The sale has been on hold for the last two years because of the pandemic and during that time the original organizers retired but a new group of keen neighbours have picked up the mantle and are carrying on the tradition.
How to sell
Anyone in the Grandview Woodland's neighbourhood is welcome to participate. You can sign up to register your sale on the event website's interactive map but otherwise, it is free to join in (although the organizers do ask sellers to consider making a small donation to cover the event's annual costs) and people are encouraged to lay a blanket on their front lawn, put a table on the sidewalk, or roll up the garage door and start selling.
The organizers have offered a few tips for sellers:
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Go through your closets, storage space, and basements and make a list of all the stuff you want to sell. Give them a good cleaning to help them sell.
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Come up with a price for each item, and mark it down. Tape & markers work well for homemade price tags.
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Garage sales transactions are mostly in cash, and it helps to have lots of small bills and coins on hand. You wouldn't want to miss out on a sale because you didn't have change.
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Have a friend or two come to help set up, make sales, clean up after, and make the day even more fun.
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Tell your friends and neighbours.
Where to buy
Most of the garage sales taking place in the neighbourhood have been registered and added to an interactive map on the Great Grandview Garage Sale website but it's also a good idea to walk around the neighbourhood on the lookout for other sales that will be happening without being registered.
Volunteering
The event is entirely volunteer-led and organizers are looking for help putting up posters, reaching out to community groups, helping out with social media, and whatever other skills people may be able to offer. Check out how to get involved here.
Details
Where: The Grandview Woodlands neighbourhood from Broadway down to the water and between Nanaimo and Clark.
When: Saturday, June 18, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
