With the seemingly never-ending winter finally behind us, Peterborough residents are eagerly anticipating the return of a new spring tradition: the East City Neighbourhood Yard Sale.
Eager participants and yard sale connoisseurs have been asking about it for months, says organizer Ashley Bonner.
“Some people are starting to spring clean, and they’ve marked their calendars,” she says. “Neighbours are ready to jump in and help out because they love it. It’s a chance to connect with other community members.”
On Saturday, May 10 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., East City will become a bargain hunter’s paradise as residents host individual yard sales full of furniture, books, toys, artwork, clothing, and who knows what other hidden gems. A map of all participating locations will be available leading up to the event date.
This year’s sale will mark the fourth time Bonner has hosted the “beautiful family event” over the Mother’s Day weekend. When she first organized it in 2021, she did so to pay tribute to her mother Brenda Bonner, who had passed away the year prior.
“She was a diehard yard saler, and she would actually map out the yard sales prior to going out so she could get the most amount done in the shortest time on a Saturday morning,” she says. “The whole map feature is a tribute to her. It was just something we always did together, so this was a good way of honouring her.”
Though the first event saw about 20 homes getting involved, over the years, it has continued to grow with last year’s event featuring 100 yard sales. Given the eager early registrations, Bonner anticipates this year to have just as large of a turnout — as of the date of this story, over 75 houses have registered.
“It’s all spread out, so the streets are just packed, and it’s bustling over here in East City,” she says. “We might get 100 people registered, but there’s always extra people who just set up on the day too.”
Most of the yard sales are typically set up on properties located between Maria Street and Parkhill Road, though there are always a few stragglers like those near Beavermead Park or farther north on Armour Road.
For many people, the annual event is also an opportunity to connect with neighbours. Bonner has heard from participants in past years that hosting a sale gave them the chance to speak with neighbours they had never spoken to before despite years of living on the same street.
“These yard sales are nodes of contact and connection and that is really the core of building a resilient community,” she says. “Neighbours get out, they’re shopping, they see who’s on their street, and they connect with their direct neighbours. I do find this has a ripple effect when it comes to connecting during crisis or other big things where neighbours rely on each other.”
Many participants also use the yard sale as an opportunity to support the community by hosting fundraisers for local organizations. Last year, Leigh Ramsay’s sale raised about $800 for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families.
The Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group will similarly have a booth set up again this year to provide information and take donations, while the Quaker Park Tennis Club will host their annual garage and plant sale fundraiser for the organization on the same afternoon (the club is currently seeking plants to be donated for the cause.)
Bonner has also invited businesses on Hunter Street East to partake by offering sales or other events in store.
“It’s a really good chance for businesses to meet their neighbours as well while they’re out shopping,” says Bonner. “It really goes back to having that tight community where the more we know the business, and the business knows us, there’s a tightness and trust.”
Bonner adds that the local businesses have the chance to take advantage of visitors coming to Peterborough for the neighbourhood yard sale. In past years, bargain hunters have come from outside the city and even from neighbouring regions.
“There’s not a lot of neighbourhood yard sales of this magnitude,” she notes.
“All those diehard yard salers in other cities are scanning the internet for what’s in their local area that they could go to, and if they see 90 to 100 yard sales, people know it’s worth it to come for the day.”
Bonner says her late mother would have been thrilled with how many homes are participating in the community-run event.
“I could have never imagined that it would grow to be this size and have so much of a positive impact,” she says. “She would have loved this yard sale. This would have been her dream.”
East City residents who want to host a yard sale and have their address included on the map distributed to the public can complete a registration form.
For more information about the event, including when the yard sale map is available, visit the East City Ptbo Facebook page or email eastcityptbo@gmail.com.
