PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The city-wide yard sale, hosted by the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce on June 7, provided a much-needed boost to the local economy, according to Deputy City Manager Martin Puckett.
“Not only does the event allow for people to get out and interact with their neighbors, it certainly increases vehicle traffic in Presque Isle. I even saw some families that live on Barton Street who were donating all yard sale proceeds to a charity,” said Puckett. “This event resulted in multiple benefits to the community.”
Participation wasn’t restricted to Presque Isle.
“The city of Presque Isle and the 12 surrounding communities who are served by the CACC were welcome to participate. The Chamber ‘sponsors’ Saturday as an advertised event,” with many sales continuing through Sunday, said Lynn Frederick, CACC executive assistant.
Frederick said the Chamber saw a steady stream of interest leading up to the event.
“We received a lot of interest from participants as well as bargain hunters wanting maps of the area. We printed over 2,000 maps for distribution at local banks, grocery stores and for here at the Chamber,” she said.
She said the sales attracted buyers from elsewhere, drawing shoppers to town who then took advantage of being in the Star City to stop by local retailers.
“There was certainly more traffic throughout the area, so we believe local merchants received more business, especially our area restaurants,” Frederick said.
More than three dozen sales were listed on the Chamber-distributed map.
“We had 43 registered yard sales, including some non-profit groups who used the sale as a fundraiser. And others jumped on board, who weren’t registered, taking advantage of the added traffic in town,” she said.
Buyers found bargains, from clothing and cookware to toys and tools.
“The most common items were children’s items, baby items, home decor, toys and games,” said Frederick.
“From the Chamber’s perspective, it’s an event that gets people out and about in our communities and we hope into our businesses. We feel it is a great way for people to recycle, repurpose and re-use items,” said Frederick.
