Household goods moved on to new uses at Habitat sale

LAKEVILLE — The line of cars spilling all the way out to the road on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 9, was the first indication that the annual Habitat for Humanity tag sale, hosted in the Mars Athletic Center at The Hotchkiss School, was a smash hit. The second sign was the steady stream of people filing out of the building with their purchases.“Tag sale” is perhaps an inadequate term for the scale of the event. The space, large enough for three basketball courts, was filled to the brim with goods and crowded with shoppers, all exhibiting a tangible enthusiasm for finding treasures in the piles of pre-owned goods.“The word is out. We have more donations and more people than ever before,” said Jeanne Wardell, a volunteer at the event.The reach of the tag sale has expanded to pulling people in from all over the Tri-state area. Some were drawn to the three-day sale to support Habitat for Humanity’s work, while some, like Joe and Judy Rinaldi of Falls Village, have been coming for years to find whatever they can. The sale, which is always held at the end of summer, is also popular with parents who are either sending children off to college or to live in their own first homes and apartments. In addition to smaller items there are always a large number of dressers, tables and upholstered chairs. Nineteen-year-old Mia Stevenson just moved into her own apartment and was looking for household goods. She was examining sheets.Jay Lehman of Lakeville was on a quest for children’s life jackets for an upcoming trip to the beach. He needed three.There were a couple of life jackets available, but Lehman rejected them as (a) too big and (b) too old.“I think they’re from the 1970s,” he said. “I never leave empty-handed,” said Megan Fouty. It was her fifth year of coming to the sale; this year she was looking for toys and games for her children. A youngster named Esme, from New York City, was combing through the Barbie dolls with her parents. “She wants to find Elsa from ‘Frozen,’” her mother said.Will Favale, age 8, came with his family from Portland, Conn. He was taking a break in a chair, clutching a baseball mitt that will come in handy, since he is a pitcher who also plays first and second base.The sale required a great deal of work by volunteers, most of whom were there straightening the merchandise, haggling over prices with buyers and helping to carry purchases to people’s cars. True Anderson has been an organizer of the sale for 14 years, and said, “If you had come here in late July, you would have seen boxes from floor to ceiling, reaching all the way out to the foul line. We had volunteers working from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to unpack, organize and price donations. Some teachers from Hotchkiss would come in during their lunch break to work. It was a great team effort.” George Massey, another volunteer, said, “Look at all the wonderful stuff available for a dollar!”Mary Lu Sinclair of Falls Village browsed the Tiffany section, carrying a stack of silver. When asked if she found what she was looking for, she said, “Sure, everyone needs a snail plate, right?”