The Garage Sale to End All Others
Photo Credit: David Kawai, The Ottawa Citizen
It's back!!! The GREAT GLEBE GARAGE SALE!!!!
Okay I will be the first to admit that the items are overpriced; and the merchandise is sometimes questionable; and the road is long (with many a winding road); but come on, it's the GREAT GLEBE GARAGE SALE people! And although it is no Free Store, it has its redeeming qualities.
For those of you that are not in the know this is the premiere garage sale of the City of Ottawa. Not because it is the best, or because it has the best stuff, but because it is simply the largest. Yes you heard it right, this is the largest garage sale in Ottawa and therefore I contend that it is one of the green events that puts Ottawa on the map. And yes this is a contentious issue so allow me to defend my position.
1) The Sale is a massive event that basically covers all of the Glebe. This is great except that it limits people who would like to be involved in the selling but don't live in the Glebe. You can of course rent the lawn of someone who does live in the Glebe for the day but this might be a little intense for a chance to sell old junk.
2) The sale does have a component of fundraising for charities, like the Food Bank, but it is generally recognized that the majority of the people that are in it... are in it for their own personal profit.
3) The stuff being sold at the garage sale is an homage to the overconsumption of people that live in one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Ottawa. For some, the sale acts as a means to liberate some of the space in their homes so that they can buy more stuff; thus contributing to the vicious cycle.
Yeah yeah yeah, I get all that, but I also like the idea that the whole event can be a kick-ass opportunity to get the whole community together doing something that (whether they realize it or not) has positive environmental spin-offs. I also like that I get to see basically all my friends wondering the streets; because sooner or later you see everyone at the sale. And finally, I like the idea of getting the opportunity to do some walking around the City.
So, lace up your shoes, grab your rickety old shopping cart, make a scavenger hunt list of rarities and oddities for you and your friends, and... have fun cause that's what it is all about.
-jon
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