JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – The annual Tree Streets Yard Sale will return with front yard bargains earlier than it has in the past.
The yard sale will take place Saturday, Aug. 26, starting at 7 a.m., but early sales begin on Friday night. Organizers chose to hold the 33rd Annual Tree Streets Yard Sale earlier in 2023 to better align with the arrival of local college students.
“The organizers recognize the importance of accommodating these eager students who are keen to accessorize their new dorm rooms and apartments with unique finds from the yard sale,” a release from the South Side Neighborhood, the primary organization behind the event, states. “By aligning with their schedules, the event aims to enhance their experience and make the transition to college life even more exciting.”
Tree Streets Yard Sale Coordinator Abraham McIntyre told News Channel 11 that it’s important to the community to keep the students at East Tennessee State University involved.
“We’re doing that to hopefully get more people involved from the colleges, get more college students out,” McIntyre said. “So we’re excited to have them come in, that’s moving weekend. So excited to bring them out.”
According to McIntyre, organizers also hoped to avoid clashing with another big event in the region by moving the yard sale up.
“Also, there was in past years, a little thing called the Bristol Motor Speedway. They have a night race,” he said. “So we’re trying to keep away from that and just allow more people to come in and experience what the Tree Street Yard Sale is all about.”
The yard sale has drawn more than 15,000 buyers to the 35-block portion of Johnson City in recent years, signaling the popularity of an event that began with a handful of neighbors joining together to sell their wares and knick-knacks.
“It’s really embraced as a community for sure, and we like highlighting where we live,” McIntyre said.
Perusers can find just about anything during the yard sale, from furniture, books, games, clothes and technology, to oddities and major appliances. Artists also show off their paintings, musicians play from the porch and food is available at a variety of locations.
“We’re going to have food trucks set out at Southside Elementary School,” McIntyre said.
Restroom facilities will be provided by organizers at Veterans Park by South Side School, and public restrooms are also available at Powell Square Park on the eastern side of the Tree Streets along West Poplar Street.
Registration to sell is open to any resident with a valid Tree Streets address with a suggested donation of $15 per seller. That donation is requested to be $20 if made on the day of the sale. Early registration can be done at Powell Square Park from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 23 and at Veterans Park from 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 24.
The proceeds from the registrations go toward several community initiatives supported by the South Side Neighborhood Organization, and several local charities make use of the yard sale to fundraise.
“So Step Ahead Foundation, the community theaters, there’s churches different again, different nonprofits that are using this as a fundraiser and just awareness to have just different impact things that are going on in the area,” McIntyre said.
Homeowners and renters in the Tree Streets can also register to sell wares on behalf of friends.
