In April 2009, I participated in organizing the Tierra Verde Island Wide Garage Sale.  The event, which began in November 2008, was hosted by The Island Reporter, a South Gulf Beaches community newspaper.  The April sale, as the November one, was a big hit with island residents and “garage sailors” (as I refer to weekend bargain hunters).

My husband and I challenged ourselves to stop at each and every sale.  We visited more than 150 of them!  The photos accompanying this post were taken that day.

Weather wise, the skies were blue, the spring day temperature was just right, and there were thousands of interesting items, value buys, and friendly smiles on display at each place we visited! 

The event has become so popular that the Tierra Verde Women’s Club is planning to host a Tierra Verde Community Garage Sale at a central location in downtown Tierra Verde on November 14, 2009.  Put the date on your calendar and plan to attend!  There will be booths featuring garage sale items; craft displays; food venders, and island businesses will be hosting sidewalk sales.

In addition to the Tierra Verde Women’s Club Community Garage Sale, The Island Reporter, intends to sponsor their Island Wide Sale on the same date, making the event, in the truest sense, an oh so fun community-wide activity.

For homeowners, the sale is a wonderful way to free up garage or closet space.  Participants are encouraged to donate a portion of the proceeds from their garage sale to their favorite charity.  And, augmenting the event, there will be open houses for homebuyers to tour! 

For visitors, this activity offers a great way to become acquainted with the charm of Tierra Verde and the neighborly friendliness of the island’s residents.  

After participating in the sale, go a few miles south, to Ft. De Soto Park, for a refreshing walk along the shoreline of North Beach,  rated as America’s Top Beach for the second consecutive year (2009 and 2008) by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest online travel community, and the #1 Beach in the USA by Dr. Beach in 2005. 

Or, enjoy lunch at one of the island’s many restaurants-there’s something to tickle everyone’s taste buds, from Italian, German, Asian, French, and continental cuisine, including hamburgers, foot long sandwiches, salads, pizza, locally-caught fresh seafood, cold beverages, and ice cream! Yum!

It has famously been said that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”  So, I will let the below pictures from the April 2009 Tierra Verde Island Wide Garage Sale speak to tell the rest of this happy story for me.

I hope to meet other “Garage Sailors” on November 14th! 

Come play on our island and enjoy another fun day . . . in Paradise Found!

PHOTO CREDIT:  Photos courtesy of Connie Langhorst and Thomas Gerwe.