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Annual Giant Garage Sale is all for the animals
CANFIELD
Increased prices cut down on early bargain hunters attending the Angels for Animals’ 22nd annual Giant Garage Sale, which began Friday at the Canfield Fairgrounds.
“Usually, it’s wall-to-wall, but not this morning,” said Eileen Oliver of New Wilmington, Pa.
Friday’s early-bird special admission was $10 instead of $5, and regular admission, from noon to 5 p.m. was $2. Admission today is $2. Sunday admission is free.
Diane Less, Angels co-founder, said the organization had to increase the Friday prices to accommodate its sale formula.
“We’re trying to change it up a little to make it a better experience for everyone,” Less said. “It’s been $5 since we started, and there’s so much stuff and so much is priced really cheap.”
An additional building at the fairgrounds, 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Road, was added to the sale this year to house more donated items.
The formula for the sale is to have the admission price pay the expenses to run the event at the fairgrounds and have the profit from sale items go toward Angels for Animals, Less explained.
“This event pays for one of our full-time vets – we have three – for the year,” Less said. “Last year, we cleared $100,000 – that’s [for] one vet for the one year. It’s expensive. Our operating budget is about $2 million per year.”
Another expense volunteers try to keep up with is manpower.
Volunteer Jerry Dixey said it was a lot of work to set up for the sale, with many workers there since last Friday.
“We are always looking for volunteers with strong backs and good minds that can help us,” he said. “It’s all for a good cause – the animals.”
Less said many volunteers were on vacation from their jobs to work the sale.
“It’s all its own reward though,” said volunteer Jack Dixey, Jerry’s brother.
Shoppers Joyce Meszaros of Sharon, Pa., and Oliver said they’ve been coming to the sale every year since it’s inception.
“I like that it helps the animals. That’s why we come,” Oliver said.
Oliver said she loves looking for items the sale has, finding a deal in every one of the six barns.
Items range from books and toys to small appliances, furniture, antiques and more.
“We have a lot of fantastic folks that donate a lot of nice items to sell to raise money for animals of the shelter,” Jerry Dixey said.
Meszaros said she loves Angels for Animals and what they do for the animals.
Oliver and Meszaros said despite the price increase, they will be back next year for the sake of the animals.
“We tell everyone come, come, come,” Oliver said. “It’s just worth it.”
Less said the most “worth it” part of the sale is the last day. From 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, for $10, shoppers can take a truckload of items from the barns – all they can fit in their vehicles. This includes all barns except for the barn containing antiques, which will be $20 for all they can fit in their vehicles.
Jack Dixey said not only does it seem like people and items are in constant motion at the sale, but so are projects Angels for Animals seeks to accomplish.
The organization’s staff is working toward a $10 million project called The Angel Wing, a 24-hour medical facility for animals, equipped for emergencies and other animal-health issues.
Carrie Brown, Angels for Animals general manager, said the facility will be an extension dedicated to helping pet owners keep their animals instead of having to give them up for financial reasons.
So far, Brown said they have collected $4 million and can break ground when they’ve collected $5 million.