Town Wide Yard Sale takes over Saint Andrews, N.B.

The annual Town Wide Yard Sale took over Saint Andrews, N.B., on Saturday.

A little bit of rain wasn’t going to keep the crowds away from a decades long tradition in Saint Andrews, N.B., Saturday.

The annual Town Wide Yard Sale saw over 75 houses take part even though rainy skies turned the event into a more of an indoor garage sale. Some residents even opened their homes for treasure hunters browsing for trinkets.

“The town wide yard sale drives hundreds and hundreds of cars to our community every year,” said Saint Andrews Mayor Brad Henderson. He said the event serves as the kickoff to the tourism season in a town that relies on visitors.

“Everybody’s coming here looking for their treasure,” Henderson said. The unique buyers who shop for antiques are hoping to find a good deal in a town filled with heritage homes from people looking to downsize, he said.

Yard sale maps were available for a small donation with all proceeds going towards another one of the towns biggest events: the Canada Day fireworks display.

The yard sale officially began at 9 a.m., but sales started earlier. Alex Young, who travelled from St. Stephen, N.B., found a table, some golf clubs, and a diving set before 9:30 a.m.

“Absolutely sweet finds here today,” said Young, who admitted he almost didn’t come because of the rain. “It’s not the best day for it, but you can’t beat this.”

By noon, many yards had been picked over but for locals and early risers it was a chance to find that perfect item.

“I was looking for some mixing bowls and found a really nice mixing bowl that a woman in our community used everyday to make bread until she passed away,” said resident Amber Devolpi. “It’s really sentimental and now it’s mine to make bread on every day.”

For sellers, the town wide yard sale is a chance to do some spring cleaning and pass their keepsakes to a new home.

“It was like a whole week of up and down the attic and into the shed and opening bins and things I haven’t seen for 50 years,” one yard sale host told CTV. “(The shoppers) are just super fun, especially when I let go something I really care about to some nice people.”

Tourism season continues this week in Saint Andrews. Beginning Thursday, the popular Paddlefest Music & Nature Festival takes over the seaside community and continues through Sunday.

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