CARIBOU, Maine — The city of Caribou was buzzing with activity during the May 17-19 City Wide Yard Sale, in which nearly 100 residents signed up to sell their belongings.
While the event traditionally only took place on the weekend, the city recently added Friday to the line-up and this year nearly half of those signed up decided to open up shop on the 17th to get a head start on the weekend sales.
Gary Aiken, who was among the many participating on Friday, said he has been involved in the city wide yard sale for nearly a decade.
In addition to getting a head start on the weekend, Aiken said he likes to run a sale roughly a week before the big weekend.
“That’s when the real yard-salers start coming out,” he said. “You have a lot of people looking for something in particular during the City Wide Yard Sale. I had someone this morning who wanted an Old Maid game and an old Bible; that’s all they wanted and if I didn’t have it, they weren’t interested.”
Additionally, he said someone stopped by his home only interested in purchasing a boat ladder, and another who only wanted children’s clothing.
Caribou resident Gary Aiken had no shortage of items during the Caribou City Wide Yard Sale, as his garage was filled with baseball cards, filing cabinets, power tools, and books on Friday, May 17.
(Chris Bouchard)
Aiken added that yard sales have changed with the times, and that many people will scan barcodes of items in order to determine the going sale price online.
“People have an app on their phone so they can pick something up and read the code,” Aiken said. “It’ll say you can buy it for $39.99 on Amazon, and if you have it for sale for five dollars then they take it.”
“It’s a lot different than it was in the old days,” he said.
Aiken added that he was surprised to see just how many set up shop on Friday, as most usually wait for the weekend.
“At one time you weren’t even really allowed to advertise that you were open on Friday,” he said. “They just changed that three or four years ago and now half of the sales are open on Friday. I guess everybody’s trying to get a jump on it.”
While Aiken is no stranger to yard sales, Caribou resident Beth Alden said this was her first year participating in the event.
“We’re going to be moving,” she said, “so it was time to let go of some things.”
Alden has lived in Caribou for 40 years, and soon plans to move to Madawaska Lake. She sold a plethora of items from jewelry, clothes, crafts and books. Roughly an hour after opening up the sale, she said the traffic has been “slow, but steady,” and that she appreciates the opportunity for local residents to all simultaneously hold a yard sale.
“It’s a great opportunity for people to do it all on the same day,” she said. “There’s always traffic, and I think that helps.”
On Saturday, the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department also will host a “Spring Fever Craft and Vendor Market” to coincide with the yard sale, and the event will consist of several local crafters and vendors selling items ranging from candles and outdoor accessories to rustic decor.
County Kettle Corn, formerly known as West Mountain Kettle Corn, widely known for its presence during the city’s Thursdays on Sweden event, will be holding a ribbon cutting outside the Wellness and Recreation Center at 10 a.m. and subsequently offering deals on their popcorn.
