Citywide Garage Sale allows residents to be part of something bigger than their own garage

Cupertino garage sales from El Estoque on Vimeo.

The Cupertino house that was voted “Best Garage Sale 2009” is flooded with eager buyers weathering the noontime sun. A melange of candles, tea sets, board games and calculators spills out onto the driveway. In the midst of it all is the garage sale veteran, Catherine Wells.

Wells’ house is one of hundreds of homes all across Cupertino that host the annual garage sale. In fact, Cupertino is reputed for having the best annual garage sale in northern California.

“No one [else] takes the time or labor to do this,” Wells said. “We live in a very good community.”

Wells would know—she has participated in the annual garage sale for 30 years. What keeps her garage sale going for so long is the fact that she is representing her church, the Campbell Community Church.

Every year, the proceeds from Wells’ sales go to the homeless, where in a feat of hands-on ministry, the pastor delivers food to the homeless. In fact, the pastor himself had been homeless once.

“He knows the heart of the people: the pain and suffering,” Wells said. Wells’ pastor and the people of her church are what keep her garage sale going.

Though most of the items in her garage sale come from friends, family and members of her church, Wells herself has donated some items. Though they were once hers, the only one she has real connection to is an 80-year-old soup tureen that had belonged to her grandmother. When Wells was young, her mother had dropped the tureen when her knees had given way. It has a broken handle today.

“I’m thrilled that it’s broken because it’ll never sell,” Wells said. All the same, she puts it out on display every year.

Other items that once belonged to Wells include Raggedy Ann dolls that occupy their own table in the far back of the garage, tennis equipment from her coaching days and an old-time “Whirley-Pop” popcorn popper.

It’s nice to have history to share with others, but garage sales aren’t just about old memories—they are about creating space for new ones.

Sari Korju, an active mother, feels that the issue is making room in the closet. With growing children, the cherished toys of yesterday are obsolete today. A look around the driveway shows toys, car seats and outgrown clothes.

“Last year I had more of a connection to my stuff,” Korju said. “This year I just want to get rid of it.”

For Kennedy Middle School student and garage sale participant Melina Jimenez, it is not easy to let go of her things, but is a necessary change. Out of the books, clothes and a piano-keyboard hybrid she has set out, the item most dear to Jimenez is her uniform from her first year of dance at the Dance Academy. However, Jimenez is willing to give it away in exchange for more special years such as her first year.

Garage sales are just one example of the seasonal tide of life: out with the old, and in with the new. This event, organized each year to exchange items, stories and pieces of history, keeps the spirit of community afloat. Cupertino residents have really given up their time, effort and themselves to make this possible.

“In the end,” Wells said, “it’s all about giving back to the community.”