If the Monroe County History Center’s upcoming garage sale were 100 square feet larger, MCHC director Daniel Schlegel said it would be one whole acre of secondhand goods under a warehouse roof.
“They've wanted us to call it the Garage Sale Extravaganza because it's more than just a garage,” Schlegel said.
The sale will take place at 4015 Profile Parkway in Bloomington. Members of the Monroe County History Center and Cook Group employees will have first access to the sale from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 11, while the warehouse will open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 13 and 14.
A group of volunteers that help run the sale work year-round to organize, arrange and price items. MCHC volunteer Mary Strow said the garage sale team does a beautiful job setting up every year.
“These people work so hard to get everything in tip top shape,” Strow said. “Everything's clean and everything is well organized and well displayed.”
Schlegel said the MCHC summer sale, along with another sale held in November, raises almost 30% of the history center’s annual operating costs. With rising prices on insurance and utilities, he described the fundraiser as a lifesaver.
“We are very lucky to have community support that people donate everything, so we don't pay for anything,” Schlegel said. “The Cook Group donates a warehouse for us to use, which we are very grateful for.”
Cook Group is an Indiana-based manufacturing company that has engaged in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings via their subsidiary CFC Properties.
Schlegel said he himself has bought interesting items, like a snow shovel in June or bright green chairs, over the years.
MCHC operations manager Justin Robertson said there are always antiques, some of which come from historic places in Bloomington, like the old Princess Theater located on N Walnut Street.
“There's a lot of stuff that you just don't see everywhere, as well as a lot of really rare china, and silverware and crystal and stuff like that,” Robertson said.
Not everything that gets donated can be sold, though. Sometimes, like with old apothecary containers, rare or antique items may end up on display at the history center.
“It was a bunch of old bottles from the 19th century, but a lot of them were labeled ‘arsenic’ or ‘poisons’ or whatever, so we couldn't sell it,” Robertson said. “Because it could really kill somebody. So, that's actually upstairs in our collection.”
Schlegel said the fundraiser is a great opportunity to connect with the Bloomington community, especially with visitors who haven’t been to the history center in a few years.
“They come in and they're like, 'All the exhibits are different. You keep changing things,’” Schlegel said. “It's a good way for us to connect with the community and remind people, 'Hey, we're here.’”
