Williamson: Church rummage sale a good deal

I am going to blame geography on the reason our family never got into the yard sale frame of mind. Growing up 35 miles from town, I made it to adulthood without ever once partaking, either as a shopper or a vendor, in one of those early morning free-for-all scrambles for other people’s stuff.

Betty Williamson

A bit of good news

My first exposure to the curious world of yard sales came more than 20 years ago, back when the Kiwanis Club of Portales was still holding one each fall as a club fundraiser. Being an honorary Kiwanian, I got sucked in each year to the tedious process of sorting and pricing mountains of donated “treasures.”

We always placed verbal bets on what we thought would be the first items to sell, what categories would be the most popular, and what oddities would never-ever-in-a-million-years sell. We were always — always — wrong.

One year someone donated a 14-inch tall statue of Buddha, the founding figure of the Buddhist religion. It was made from red plaster and it was broken. Poor Buddha had a badly fractured skull. We nearly tossed it in the sorting process, because, obviously, “nobody is going to buy this.”

Of course, you have already guessed that Broken Buddha was one of the first items sold. That was when I became convinced there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to this business.

In spite of that, yard sales remain one of the greatest recycling projects of society. Although the Kiwanians retired that fundraiser a few years back, the First United Methodist Church of Portales hosts one each year that may be the largest in our community, and it is happening this weekend.

Dozens of volunteers have been slogging away all week long, and also combing Portales with trucks and trailers picking up loads of donated goodies which will be sold as a missions fundraiser starting at 6 p.m. Friday in the FUMC fellowship hall, 200 South Avenue C.

Pat Burns, co-chair of the event with Carol Morgan (“She’s the brains—I just carry boxes,” Pat confided), says weekend shoppers can expect to find “a lot of good quality clothes—especially coats and children’s clothes” as well as “quite a bit of furniture—dining room sets, recliners, beds” and even “a few genuine antiques…a 100-year-old chest, a console radio made in 1936, and more.”

From 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Pat said the sale will be open for business in the fellowship hall with one rule: “No negotiating. If you want it, you gotta pay sticker price.”

The sale resumes at 8 a.m. Saturday and runs until about 1 p.m. That will take place in the church parking lot, weather permitting, and with lots of assistance from the Boy Scouts of Troop 18.

While this sale is a fundraiser, getting value-priced merchandise into the hands of local families is equally important, according to Pat.

“This sale helps a lot of people in Portales,” he said, “especially people with school-aged kids, or people setting up a household. Where else can you find children’s clothes at a bargain, or a $25 recliner?”

Or maybe even a broken plaster Buddha. But you’ll have to hurry.

Betty Williamson hopes the weekend bargain hunters strike gold. You may reach her at

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