About 4,500 square feet of the Lexington Community Center is filled with everything from Christmas decorations and camping gear to furniture, appliances and clothes.
Now, the Lexington Downtown Development Authority is ready to clear it out.
The DDA will hold a fundraiser yard sale from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Lexington Community Center (303 E. Church St.).
Money raised from the sale will go toward heating and air conditioning and other improvements to the building.
“We have something in there for everybody,” DDA chair Linda Parish said. “I can’t think of any category that’s not in there.”
Shoppers can find toys, tools, small appliances, office furniture, kitchen supplies, home decor, clothes and party supplies. There is even an entire room of Christmas items.
The sale has been in the works for a while as the DDA continued accumulating donations, Parish said.
Some items came from local residents, while others were left from a previous Christmas in Oglethorpe silent auction. Another donor, who purchases storage units, gave the DDA leftover items, Parish said.
Some of the items are used, while others are still new.
Eventually, Parish said, the DDA had more than it could continue storing.
“We got too much stuff,” Parish said. “We got to do something.”
The growing collection isn’t the only reason the DDA decided it was time for a sale.
Heating and air conditioning units have been donated for the community center, but Parish said the building still needs electrical work, ductwork and other repairs.
DDA board member Ronnie Boggs said the community center could eventually be rented for birthday parties, family reunions and other events. A kitchen is another improvement the DDA would like to make.
“We’ve made a lot of progress with the building,” Boggs said. “It’s an ongoing project.”
For Parish, the project also has a personal connection.
Her late ex-husband, Jerry Titus, purchased the building from the city and later donated it to the DDA, Parish said.
He made her promise to fix it up as a community center. The yard sale is one way the DDA is working toward that goal.
Most items at the sale will be individually priced, although smaller items have been grouped together and priced by the bag. Parish said shoppers can ask about a price or make an offer if they find something without a price tag.
People can also set up their own table or tent outside the community center for a fee.
Boggs said community support, whether through donations, grants or volunteer work, has been important as improvements to the building continue.
“Ultimately, it’s a community who wins in a situation like this,” Boggs said.