KitchenAid mixers, Lillian August and Ethan Allen sofas, Patagonia fleeces, Restoration Hardware patio furniture… These are just some of the top quality brand-name products that shoppers may find, in addition to thousands of other treasures, under the huge white tents at the Fall Minks to Sinks Sale, which starts Saturday, Oct. 3.
Many of the more than 190 Minks to Sinks volunteers will be helping to set up the tents this Sunday to get ready to accept consignments and donations for the sale. Laura Hussey and Charlotte Ackerman, co-chairs of the Fall sale, remind everyone that now is a great time to go through closets, attics, kitchens and garages and gather up gently used or new items that they no longer use or want, and bring them to Minks to Sinks to consign or donate.
“Minks to Sinks is a great way to recycle merchandise and raise money for a great organization, Family & Children’s Agency, which provides much needed social services to individuals and families in need in the surrounding communities,” notes Hussey. “We realize that today, people have so many different options for donating or consigning items they no longer want, so we are very appreciative of the continuing generosity of people who donate and consign these items at Minks to Sinks.”
Minks to Sinks, which has opened for business every fall and spring, rain or shine, for more than 83 years, may just be the largest outdoor tag sale in CT; it most certainly is the longest running. And it’s also the biggest treasure hunt around. Hundreds of shoppers come from all over CT and adjoining states to purchase new and gently used household items, furniture, luggage, garden tools, kids toys, sports equipment, seasonal clothing, antiques and collectibles, and of course, minks and sinks, all at bargain prices.
The sale is a finely-tuned, well-oiled machine, and nothing can dampen the spirits of the Minks to Sinks volunteers, who don their blue and white striped aprons and spend hours the week before the sale opens, sorting, pricing, organizing, and displaying all the merchandise that comes in. Every year, the volunteers come through and do what it takes to be ready to open for business at 9am on Saturday morning. And every year, shoppers find amazing bargains on exactly what they are looking for.
“This year, we’ve added a new collectibles area, so we are able to display all the collectible and antique items together,” explains Hussey, who points out that even these items, which in the past have included Waterford crystal, Wedgewood china, and sterling silver pitchers, are marked at bargain prices.
Consignments and donations will be accepted at the Minks to Sinks site (at the intersection of School Rd. and Rte. 7) on Tuesday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m..
The Fall Minks to Sinks sale runs from Saturday, Oct. 3 – Monday, Oct. 5. People wishing to consign or donate items are encouraged to go to the Minks to Sinks website, to review the list of items accepted before bringing their merchandise to the tents. The Minks to Sinks sale opens at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3. Bargain days are Sunday, Oct. 4 from noon – 4 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. – noon.