Huge Heavenly Treasures Sale Is Like 'Christmas Every Day'

There aren't many deals better than hunting down that ultimate find and saving big money for you and your family.

And in the world of bargain hunting the garage sale is often king of discounts... so what could be better?

According to Joan Morkay "Heavenly Treasures" yearly event in Franklin Lakes may be even better.

"It's like having Christmas every day," Mokray said.

The event, which kicks off its first phase today, is a church sale of epic proportions that benefits the .

Morkay, one of the event's coordinators, describes Treasures as a fun community experience that in many ways is as "good as Freecycle but better."

The sale this year will be taking place under a massive 7,200 square-foot tent that the church is renting to accommodate the shear volume of goods available.

Donations are accepted at the  from June 25 through July 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. From there volunteers will eventually comb through the goods and price each item.

"If your kids have outgrown their stuff this is the perfect place to get rid of some of it," Morkay said.

There are some limits to the donations, however.

"We don't take records because no one buys them," Morkay said she's seen it over and over, the records come in and don't get sold.

The church has also red-flagged luggage and table lamps as items that, year-after-year, no one buys.

"We want to make sure everything is recycled," Mokray said. 

Barbara Fernstrom is head coordinator of the event and has participated in every sale in the event's 24 year history. 

"Heavenly Treasures began as a fundraiser for the church, but has become so much more. It is an opportunity for those who have items they no longer need or use to have a place to bring them so others can purchase goods at a very reasonable price. At the end of the sale, remainders are given to non profit organizations which distribute to those locally and internationally," Fernstrom said.

Many volunteers at Heavenly Treasures (last year there were 79) start as shoppers and decide to become helpers, Fernstrom added.

"There's a great camaraderie among the volunteers and sharing pizza and sandwiches daily brings us all closer together. Many of our ideas for how to improve the sale come from casual conversations among assistants," she said.

According to Morkay the sale usually rakes in about $25,000 each year for the Church.

"There are people that come from Hoboken and Paterson, it's that good," Morkay said.

Heavenly Treasure's opening day is July 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more info on the sale, for full hours, how to donate or how to volunteer call 201-891-0511 or visit the church website: www.pcfl.org.

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