If you haven’t noticed something strange down the street, you may be missing out on one of Ottawa’s biggest draws for the geek community: garage sales.
The Ottawa Geek Garage Sale provides a space for locals to host garage sales with a geeky slant.
Located in neighbourhoods across Ottawa, the sales are fun-packed and family-oriented.
All throughout July, geek collectors, crafters, and cosplayers were welcome to participate in selling fan paraphernalia ranging from comic books to figurines and art.
The sale has been around for five years, but hosts continue to join the Facebook network to help vendors across the city. Hosts connect with vendors prior to the sale, allowing vendors to set up tables at the event.
Stephanie Crocker was the host for the Centretown neighbourhood sale, which took place on July 8.
Crocker said she discovered the geek garage sale through a friend on Facebook and decided to join the online community.
“It is basically just a forum for anyone to join if they want to host one . . . a place where you can advertise for your sale and typically a lot of the vendors are different from sale to sale,” she said.
Visitors can expect to find anything from collectable comic books to Lego sets that fit their budget.
“They’re really fun, I have specific rules with who is allowed to sell things, I want to keep it as a garage sale with garage sale prices,” she said. “I always tell vendors that the majority of their stuff be $5 and under.”
Crocker said she sees the geek garage sales as a “community based and family oriented event,” where both children and adults can find interesting items to buy.
Crocker said she also uses the opportunity to raise money for The Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa at her sale.
But, don’t worry if you missed out on a geek garage sale nearest you. More items will be available to geek out over next year.
Featured photo by Meagan Casalino
