Residents Share their Wares at the Florissant Garage Sale

The ice rink at the serves as more than just a place to skate in the winter and enjoy the in spring.

On Saturday, Florissant Parks and Recreation Department will use the venue for the second annual Florissant Garage Sale.

Established last year by Center Director Janice Steib, the sale runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is free to visit. More than 30 city residents booked vendor tables by the April 15 deadline for $15 each.

Visitors can expect to find clothes for adults and children, toys, electronics and other household items.

"Pretty much, you name it, it was there last year," Steib said.

Steib's personal circumstances led her to her conceive of the community event, which she would like to see continue as an annual Florissant tradition.

"I started it because I wanted to have a garage sale, but I didn't want to have it by myself," Steib said. "I had a lot of baby clothes from last year, and I thought it would be an interesting opportunity."

To ensure efficiency, Steib scheduled the event for a week before the Valley of Flowers so that the same tables and concessions area used for the sale could be reused at the festival. That way, Steib said, the city would save time rather than setting up and dissassembling twice.

Due in part to the success of last year's event, Steib estimated that 50 percent of last year's vendors have returned.

"The people I spoke to had wonderful feedback, which is why I did it again," she said. "I did it as a first year thing to see if people were interested. I think it’s a one-stop shop for people who like to garage sale."

As for her own booth, Steib reported taking home $300 from the event due to having some relatively high-ticket items.

The late end time might have also helped sales last year, Steib said. While most garage sales end around noon, the Florissant Garage Sale continues for two more hours.

Unlike other cities that have citywide garage sales at residents' homes, Florissant is too vast and sprawling for such an event, Steib said.

"It's nice to have so many people under one roof," she said.

Last year's event had 38 vendors and expanded from the ice rink pavilion into the center. Steib capped the number at 34 this year to ensure that everyone would fit in the same space. Future garage sales might be held inside.

The Parks Department encourages vendors to donate their unwanted items at the end of the day to the nearby in Grandview Plaza.

Due to vacation leave, Steib will not be attending this year's garage sale.

By coincidence, the City of Florissant will hold a prescription drug drop-off in the circle drive outside the James J. Eagan Center on the same day as the garage sale.

Steib hopes those who arrive for the drop-off might stop in the ice rink to browse the tables.