The 14th season of car boot sales at Centennial Beach gets underway this Saturday morning.
Car boot sales have nothing to do with boots, but are basically "garage sales at the beach" where homeowners, apartment dwellers and other vendors have an ideal venue to sell unwanted stuff they have accumulated. "Boot" is what the British call the "trunk" of a car.
The Boundary Bay Park Association organizes and operates seven car boot sales each summer. The events are held twice monthly in June (10 and 24), July (8 and 22) and August (12 and 26) with one in September (9).
The event takes place in the parking lot at Centennial Beach in Boundary Bay Regional Park. For a $10 fee, vendors are allotted two parking spots, one for their vehicle and one to display their goods.
The sales start at 8:30 a.m., but vendors are allowed to enter the sale area beginning at 8 a.m. to set up. Stalls are assigned on a first come, first serve basis. The sales end at noon and vendors must have cleared the lot by 12:30 p.m.
Coordinator Tom Bearss said the sales are a valuable service to Deltans, and vendors from beyond, who either cannot have garage sales or don't want the hassles of organizing one. He added many vendors enjoy the social atmosphere, chatting with customers and fellow vendors.
In addition, many visitors to the beach are pleasantly surprised by the sales as they browse a variety of household goods, garden tools, crafts, clothing, jewelry and more.
Although these events are not a huge moneymaker for the Boundary Bay Park Association, Bearss said the association uses the earnings for a number of events it organizes or participates in throughout the year, including Heritage Day at Cammidge House, Sunday in the Park on Father's Day and Santa's annual visit to Cammidge House.
For more information on car boot sales, visit www.boundarybayparkassociation.wordpress.com or contact Bearss at [email protected] or 604-940-9296.
