State Museum to Hold Popular Garage Sale Feb. 23 | Community Spirit

Props, signs and the kinds of odd items not normally found in a typical weekend yard sale will be offered to the public Saturday, Feb. 23 as the South Carolina State Museum presents its periodic “garage sale.”

“These sales are both a lot of fun and serve two good purposes,” said State Museum Registrar Michelle Baker, who is organizing the event.  “They allow the public to own a little piece of the museum through items that were associated with some of our most popular exhibits, plus they help us clear out space to make room for articles to support future exhibits.”

The much-anticipated event will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the general public.  Museum members will get first crack at the sale beginning at 8 a.m.

Items that curious buyers will find at this year’s sale include a prop pirate cannon, street banners from past “blockbuster” exhibits, plastic skeletons, a “Chewbacca” mask, hands and suit, plastic Easter eggs, building blocks and various electronics, including a 24-track sound mixing board.  Prices will run the gamut from 50 cents to several hundred dollars.

Baker stresses that everything in the sale is a support item.  There are no artifacts from the museum’s collection in the sale.

“We take seriously our mission to preserve real objects related to South Carolina’s heritage,” the registrar said.  “But the other items can still hold memories and have significant purposes in helping our exhibits to connect with the public, thus making them valuable as keepsakes and reminders.”

The museum has added a new wrinkle to this year’s sale, according to Baker.  “We’re doing an ‘after-sale sale,’” she said.  “When the regular sale’s hours are up at 2:00, we’ll close the space for a half-hour break, then the sale will re-open for a ‘black bag’ sale at 2:30.  People can buy a black plastic bag for $5 and fill it with whatever they want – if it fits - from what is left.  This saves us from storing any leftovers and offers bargain hunters a good deal, too.”

The museum has held two previous garage sales which proved to be immensely popular with the public.  “We sold out early last time,” said Baker.

For more information on the garage sale, contact Michelle Baker at (803) 898-4921 or visit www.southcarolinastatemuseum.org.