Today marks the start of the Glen Ellyn sidewalk sales! My favorite downtown Glen Ellyn activity. Almost every store in our town hauls out their best products onto the streets and puts everything on sale! A section of Main Street is blocked off, and the street is lined with goodies and treats available at an awesome discounted price. Gather and Collect is honored to participate in this sale! I love working it more than I love shopping it. Though some may call me crazy for that, I love a good early morning and the hot sun. I have worked four sidewalk sales since working for Gather and Collect, and working such a busy day can give you a good handful of stories to tell. My favorite sidewalk sale story is the infamous day it rained.
Leah and I had been working for Julie for about a year, and with one sidewalk sale under our belts, we felt confident about our second. We were at our old location on Main Street, the small one! Meaning, we hauled out almost half of our store every year, and put it under big sun tents, so people had some shade while they were shopping. We all had these beautiful white t-shirts on that said “Kindness crew”, which is horribly ironic if you have ever stepped foot in our store. The day was beautiful, sunny, and not a single cloud in the sky. But, what do you know, dark clouds start to roll in near the end of our long day, and all of a sudden it starts to downpour. I am not talking about a drizzle or even a normal rain. I am talking pouring. So, everyone is running around like crazy, trying to shove all our stuff inside before the clothes or vintage items get ruined in all the rain. And in the process, all our white shirts are getting totally soaked and see-through. Imagine the scene: a bunch of people running around like maniacs with stuff in their hands, basically half naked in the pouring rain. And it’s not just us, it’s all of Mainstreet! We finally get everything inside safely, away from the danger that is the outside world, and what do you know, the rain lets up, and it is again beautiful outside.
As weird as it is, that’s why I love the sidewalk sale. It has created so many good memories for my coworkers and I. Stories that we still tell to this day. Photos that we still laugh at. It also helps us connect with you guys, getting to get outside, and engage with the community on a day where everybody is out enjoying the weather and our town.
At Gather and Collect, we do a 15% discount on everything in the store! We are on Pennsylvania now, right around the corner from Main, and if you come down to us, you’re sure to find something fun for yourself or a friend. Also, I think our setup is always so cute! There might even be bubbles this year, so come visit us and enjoy our store!
Stay awesome and keep collecting,
Mallory