301 Endless Yard Sale spans five North Carolina counties
Gear up and get ready, because one of the biggest garage sales in the country is back this year, with hundreds of vendors selling antiques, DIY projects, collectibles, trinkets and little nearly everything you could hope for along 100 miles of a North Carolina. Highway.
The 301 Endless Yard Sale, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, will run along US 301 through five counties – from Halifax to Nash, Wilson, Johnston and Harnett – from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, June 17 and from new on Saturday, June 18. .
Here’s what you need to know for a successful sales journey, whether you plan to hunt for treasure along the way or casually navigate from one salesperson to the next.
What is the 301 Endless Garage Sale?
The sale was originally founded in Johnston County before expanding to include Halifax, Nash, Wilson and Harnett. It’s held annually by county visitors’ bureaus and is modeled after the 690-mile-long 127 Yard Sale that stretches from Michigan to Alabama. The 301 sale is also inspired by the HGTV show “Flea Market Flip”.
The garage sale was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. But on a regular year, it attracts up to 15,000 visitors and shoppers over the two days, said Donna Bailey-Taylor, president and CEO of the Johnston County Visitors Bureau.
Where to start ?
Garage sales are spread all along the designated 100-mile route along US 301 – in homes, where individuals and families set up their own sales, in addition to larger groups of vendors in car parks of businesses, schools and churches, streets adjacent to the main road and fields and pastures that are found in rural communities along the road.
Larger pockets of vendors can be found in places like Downtown Dunn, South Johnson High School, Riverside Mill, and the Tobacco Farm Life Museum. Dozens of vendors lined up in church and school parking lots throughout the sale. You can find vendor locations in all five counties using the map on the event website.
Some seasoned, regimented bargain hunters might start at one end of the road – Weldon or Dunn – and work their way meticulously to the other end. But you can also start around the middle of the course, around Selma, and tackle the northern half of the sale one day and the southern half the next. Or you can enter the sale at any point along the path and go from there.
What kinds of things can you buy?
Wherever you take the route, you’ll be sure to find a huge range of items for sale, ranging from antiques, collectables, crockery and glassware to farm tools, produce, clothing, bakery and junk food. Johnston County alone will have about 500 vendors, if not more, according to Bailey-Taylor, and more than 1,000 will line the road as a whole.
It’s “really A to Z of the variety of things people will find along the garage sale. And I think that’s pretty much the excitement and the fun,” Bailey-Taylor said.
Where can you park?
Visitors to larger vendor locations will be able to stop at vendor sites, which must reserve 20% of the space for parking. In other locations, parking may be limited to driveways or to the side of the road. Visitors should not park along the highway.
What about eating and using the toilet?
When nature calls to you on bargain hunting, you can find restrooms in some of the larger stores. You can also stop for a bite to eat at local restaurants downtown or grab lunch at a local food vendor or food truck set up along the route.
Other Tips
Johnston County provides some tips for visitors preparing for the garage sale:
▪ If you plan to purchase items and take them home, consider the vehicle you will be taking to the event and the space you will have for the goods you will be acquiring. If you’re short on space, you can always ship items home from local shipping centers and post offices.
▪ Have cash on hand. Cash will be the most convenient and preferred method of payment.
▪ Bring reusable bags, backpacks, and wheelie bags to carry your finds and free your hands while you further sort through the sale.
▪ Dress comfortably, wear sunscreen, and pack snacks and drinks. It’s going to be hot !
▪ Drive carefully. The roads will be filled with pedestrians, other drivers and people lugging big finds, so be careful and keep your eyes on the road.
Have a good treasure hunt !
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 5:15 p.m.