THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 21, 1996 TAG: 9609210316
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEWIS KRAUSKOPF, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 42 lines
Colonial Place and Riverview will be a gold mine for old china, Halloween decorations and other yard-sale items today.
Residents will be selling their goods from between 50 and 60 stands, sponsored by the neighborhoods' civic league, said Robert E. Reardon, the league's publicity chairman.
``We want to build a community relationship, build spirit,'' he said.
Debbie Hightower will be unloading china from a past marriage, and a rowing machine, among other items, from her stand at 419 Massachusetts Ave. She said her family has had its own yard sales regularly but would rather participate in a communitywide effort.
``This gets more people together, and gets a lot of people to our area,'' Hightower said.
The league started planning in June for the event, Reardon said, hoping that a joint yard sale would encourage neighbors to meet one another and lure more visitors to peruse the merchandise. Ideally, shoppers will drive to the neighborhood, park and walk around to the various stands.
Throughout the summer, the civic league publicized the sale in its monthly newsletter. Reardon offered to go to City Hall and do the legwork for those who paid for permits.
``I was the transportation,'' Reardon said.
Thirty-eight people took Reardon up on his offer, he said, and he estimates that about 20 more got permits on their own.
The league also made signs and advertised in the newspaper, Reardon said.
LaRue Cox had her hands full with moving and was thankful that someone else did the work for the permit to make her sale possible.
``It saved me time and effort,'' Cox said. ``Once someone else organizes, I'm ready to go.''
Among the wares that Cox, who lives at 230 Lucille Ave., is selling: A flag pole, bunny rabbit ears, a witch's hat - ``just in time for Halloween'' - and a slew of coffee mugs.
Reardon also might do a little hawking today.
``I've got tools to sell,'' he said. ``So I'm going to put a box out and hope people put money in.'' by CNB