With an incredible 624,432 items listed for sale with a combined value in excess of $2million, 150,000 people participated in the biggest real world community based market place in Australia.
Blue by Red PR helped manage the official media call which took place in a small cul-de-sac in Surry Hills. We watched the Sydney area come to life as friends, neighbours and local businesses shared their treasure with the community.
Hosted by the City of Sydney, the Garage Sale Trail’s official opening featured a man cave sale, Sydney’s first food truck whose Mexican cuisine was an instant hit with the locals, live acoustic music courtesy of two ukulele players, a chill out zone and a girl guide’s stall.
Surrounded by TV crews from Channel 10, SBS and ABC, the opening included an address by a huge Garage Sale Trail advocate and MP Clover Moore, Co-Founder Darryl Nichols and ambassadors Claudia Karvan and Rachel Botsman.
Claudia later posed shopping at a stall for a great picture which was featured in the Sunday Telegraph.
This year, everything was for sale including Jacobean vintage chairs, signed David Boon memorabilia, a collection of 1930’s New Yorker magazines, Adidas Sneakers signed by De La Soul and the media’s absolute favourite – a Bondi apartment. Unfortunately such a large purchase didn’t sell on the day, but the owner sparked a lot of interest from potential buyers and the media.
Ensuring this event was the most high-tech garage sale, payments innovator PayPal supported the Garage Sale Trail community by encouraging sellers and buyers to make payments via their mobile phone rather than cash. Business directory TrueLocal.com.au was another partner who enables smartphone users to find sales in their area.
However, buyers not using this technology could still find their way around the sales as countless posters adorned the eastern suburbs streets directing locals to their sale.
As a Sydney PR Agency, it was wonderful to see so many locals get involved this year – just walking down the street you could hear everyone buzzing about the Garage Sale Trail and we even managed to pick up a few bargains ourselves!
