A few updates, with the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day just four days away! This Saturday (May 14th), 257 sales big and small all over West Seattle.

MAP UPDATE: The online map has been out for a few days, linked from the sidebar as well as from its own tab in our top navigation (look for Garage Sale Map – here is the direct link). You can also see it full-screen-width at the site of the company we wound up using after Google Maps, for the first time in four years, proved overtaxed by 250-plus listings (scrambling the map after they were entered, oh well!) – so go here to see that version (be sure to choose VIEW then LIST to get the numbers and address list on the right). Benefits of this new map program – you can print individual listings (click on a listing on the list, and the info bubble that opens will have a print icon, as well as a way to plot directions); it still has Google Maps-type controls, for zooming in/out, etc. However, we’ve had to reinvent the way we make the PRINTABLE map, so that is not quite done but we should have it linked here sometime this evening.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIFIC? WANT TO PROMOTE YOUR SALE? Go join the conversation on the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day page on Facebook, where both of the above have been happening – between buyers and sellers. We also invite you to use this for uploading photos on sale day. We still have the official website but FB works in this case, if you use it, for faster interaction directly between participants.

WANT TO JOIN IN? Registration closed two weeks ago BUT there are a few spaces left at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) – 10 x 10, e-mail lora@hotwirecoffee.com or drop by the shop – and VFW Post #2713 (3601 SW Alaska) group sites (e-mail rzuber@clearwire.net OR just show up on Saturday morning, he expects there to be some room left). Lora also says that if you have items you’d just like to give to somebody to sell, you can drop them off (gently used) at Hotwire 7 am-7 pm this week and Animals First Foundation would be glad to have them for their Hotwire table.

Remember that most of The Viaduct is closed for most of Saturday, so there’s an extra reason not to leave West Seattle – just stay and shop (if you’re not among the sellers). But still encourage friends, relatives, co-workers to come on over – I-5, 1st Avenue South, etc., are not that tough to navigate! Again this year, we’re promoting WSCGSD outside West Seattle as well, in hopes folks will show up, shop, and then enjoy lunch (maybe even dinner) at our awesome local restaurants.

With the Alaskan Way Viaduct closed for part of the day, it’s a better-than-ever reason not to even bother thinking about leaving the peninsula on Saturday, May 14th. West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day will have more than 250 sales on the map by the time we’re done – what you see at left is a screen grab of the rough-cut map ***with only about two-thirds of the addresses input so far*** (once they’re all in, we number the sales, north to south, west to east).

From Admiral to Alki to The Arroyos to Highland Park to Pigeon Point and beyond, you will find sales in your neighborhood on May 14th – and you will find reasons to go explore West Seattle neighborhoods you’ve never visited. Since West Seattle can certainly be reached without using The Viaduct, we encourage you to invite your friends, relatives, co-workers all to c’mon over. As we go through the list, we are making sublists of the benefits, the block sales, the unusual items, and once we publish the maps – still trying hard to make the promised date of next Saturday! – you’ll want to peruse and preview. One neighborhood’s having what they call a mini-street fair; one school has a sale with more than 100 families participating … This is HUGE.

If you have stuff to sell but didn’t make the deadline … you can still check with the group sites that had tables to offer – Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) plus the Ginomai lot across the alley, lora@hotwirecoffee.com … the VFW Post 2713 Hall in The Triangle (e-mail Commander Ron Zuber at rzuber@clearwire.net) … Cycle University in The Triangle (contact info on their website at cycleu.com) … and C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), e-mail candpco@comcast.net. Plus you can stop by any of the aforementioned sites to see about signing up in person.

Two other things – We are reminded (thanks, Kris!) that May 14th is also Stamp Out Hunger Day, the annual postal carriers’ food drive, so before you go out to sell OR shop, be sure to leave a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox for your carrier to pick up. And the other events around West Seattle that day include one that’s bought a spot on the map – the West Seattle Kiwanis Classic Car Show and Motorcycle Poker Run, which is offering a barbecue too, 4700 Fauntleroy Way.

Sale hours are 9 am-3 pm; watch here, on the WSB Facebook page, on the Garage Sale Day Facebook page, and on the official WSCGSD website for the announcement of the map, plus other info.

One more quick mention that we’re in the final 3 hours of registration for the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coordinated/presented by WSB – deadline is 11:59 pm tonight. This year’s lineup for sale day on May 14th is looking pretty astounding – around 240 sales so far, big and small, north and south, east and west. Once signups close, we start organizing everything for the map, which will be available online by May 7th, and promoted widely so garage-sale fans from all around the region will know this is THE place to be on May 14th. If you haven’t registered your sale yet but want to be part of what we fondly consider a massive one-day person-to-person recycling effort – go here before 11:59 pm. Then tomorrow, the previews begin!

One day left to sign up for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – 26 hours, to be precise – and the sellers who already have registered have set a record! The unofficial number at this hour is 210. Since more are likely to come in, that means this is going to be one amazing buying-and-selling-and-mingling spree, 9 am-3 pm on Saturday, May 14th.

Registration closes at 11:59 pm tomorrow (Wednesday) night, which gives us the lead time to get going on the maps (online-only Google version, and “fixed” printable version) so they will be available no later than one week before sale day. The links will be here, on the Garage Sale Day website and WSCGSD Facebook page, and on the semi-new – have YOU “liked” it yet? – WSB FB page. And we encourage you to invite all your non-West Seattle friends and relatives to come on over, wander the peninsula, shop like mad, enjoy coffee/lunch somewhere here too, then happily head back to their own neighborhoods with fond memories of a great day.

If you’ve been procrastinating and are ready to sign up YOUR sale – from a table in front of your house, to your entire block/business/school – find the link on this page. (Be sure you receive TWO confirmations – one from us, one from PayPal after you’ve paid the registration fee. If you have any problems, call us at 206-293-6302. And if you’ve signed up but you do NOT have the PayPal confirmation, please e-mail garagesale@westseattleblog.com, to make sure your sale gets on the list!)

Whether you’re planning to sell or shop, thanks in advance for being part of the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (the fourth year WSB has presented/coordinated it)!

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2011 – with four days left to register, 165 sales of all sizes are already on the list for sale day May 14th, and awaiting the map we’ll be making as soon as registration closes Wednesday night.

So far, taking a quick look through the list, we have sales from all five West Seattle zip codes, including at least 10 block sales, 5 business sales, 4 fundraisers, 3 service clubs, 2 sports groups, 2 schools, a music group, a retirement center, an apartment building, a church, a P-Patch – and of course, the four sites where you can sell your stuff if there’s no way to do it at your own place (Hotwire Online Coffeehouse and C & P Coffee Company – both WSB sponsors – plus the VFW Hall, and if you have bikes/gear, Cycle U).

IMPORTANT NOTE: Half a dozen people who registered did not complete the second step – paying the registration fee via PayPal. Maybe that just means you had second thoughts, and that’s OK; but if you didn’t complete the second step, you’re not signed up. We’ll be sending notes to the folks who didn’t go through step 2, to doublecheck, but you’re also welcome – if you’re not certain you fully finished the registration process – to send us a note asking that we check your status (garagesale@westseattleblog.com).

Meantime, if you are ready to sign up now, here’s where to do it! And if you’re participating – or even if you’re “just” shopping – be sure to “like” the WSCGSD page on Facebook; we’ll be creating an “event” page shortly for you to share with friends, family, anybody within traveling distance who might want to come spend the day garage-saling on our gorgeous peninsula. The clickable and downloadable versions of the map will be done no later than one week before sale day, and are free to anyone and everyone, so you’ll be able to share those too. Thanks for being part of the region’s biggest Community Garage Sale Day – the 7th annual edition, and WSB’s fourth year coordinating/presenting it – think of it as one big day of recycling, and of meeting more of your West Seattle neighbors. 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14th!

For sellers and shoppers, May 14th is shaping up as another day to remember, as more than 130 sales are already registered for the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (ahead of last year’s pace, with the final 2010 count a record 200+). In terms of size and location, the sales are literally all over the map – we have schools, businesses, fundraisers, individual homes, and group sites too. We wanted to let you know that one week remains till the registration deadline, which is 11:59 pm next Wednesday night, April 27. After that, as your WSCGSD sponsors/organizers, we get to work on the maps (we make two versions – online-only clickable Google Map, and printable/downloadable version including the “ad” listings describing the sales). So if you haven’t signed up yet but you’re planning on being part of it, why procrastinate? Just go here now! (Again this year, all signups are online.)

If you have a a tableful of items you’d like to sell but not enough room at your own home (or no interest in inviting people over), here are the group sites we know of: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), 4410 California SW, sign up at the shop or e-mail info@hotwirecoffee.com; C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 5612 California SW, sign up at the shop or e-mail candpco@comcast.net; VFW Hall, 3601 SW Alaska, sign up at the hall or call 206-935-4352; if you have bikes/gear, contact Cycle University, 4550 Fauntleroy SW, 206-432-9982.

If you’re not selling, just mark your calendar to get out and browse around – meet neighbors, look for deals, enjoy what we hope will be another sunny West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – 9 am-3 pm, and be sure to invite your friends/family from other areas of the city/region too – we promote WSCGSD regionally with the hopes lots of folks will show up to see the splendor of our peninsula, shop in West Seattle stores, have lunch in West Seattle restaurants, make a day out of it. Oh, and here’s that registration link again!

Spring may not have made up its mind about weather consistency just yet, but – flashing forward one month and one day – May 14th is looking brighter all the time. Nine days into the registration period, the 90th sale has just signed up for the seventh annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (coordinated and presented by WSB)!

When we announced last week that registration had opened, we forgot to tell you when it closes – end of the evening, April 27th. That’s two more weeks, but why procrastinate? If you want to be part of the city’s biggest garage-saling day of the year (200+ sales big and small last year), just go here and sign up now. While it’s fun to shop and/or sell, what we have also heard from participants over the years is that it’s great to meet more West Seattle neighbors in person, as you either host a sale or visit the ones nearest you. (If you don’t have enough space for a sale, but you have stuff to sell, group spots offering space so far include: Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor – 2010 photo above), lora@hotwirecoffee.com – C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), candpco@comcast.net – VFW Hall in The Triangle, call (206) 935-4352 – and if you are looking to sell bikes/gear, check with Cycle U in The Triangle; you can also stop in at any of those venues to ask about space.)

On May 14th, sale hours are 9 am-3 pm, all over the peninsula – we’ll have the maps (online and downloadable/printable) available one week in advance so you can plot your path! And again, to sign up YOUR sale – individual or business/group/school/organization/block – just go here (it’s all online). If you’re on Facebook, keep an eye on the WSCGSD page here; and be sure you have “liked” the semi-new WSB page (we moved a few weeks ago), at facebook.com/westseattleblog.

Two updates as garage-sale season revs up:

WEST SEATTLE EAGLES GARAGE SALE TOMORROW: Linda shared the news; the West Seattle Eagles‘ garage sale is tomorrow, enter through the alley at 4426 California SW. Note that they still have tables available, $15 each – call Mary Lou at 206-937-5484 if you want one. Sale hours on Saturday are 10 am-4 pm, and they’re selling burgers and hot dogs all day.

WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY REGISTRATION CONTINUES: 55 sales are signed up so far for the seventh annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day , presented/coordinated by WSB, coming up Saturday, May 14th, 9 am-3 pm. It’s not one big garage sale, but rather, dozens and dozens all over the peninsula, large and small (more than 200 last year!), all on one map we put together (printable and Google versions). You can sign up your sale online – just go here. Meantime, three group-selling spots are planned so far (want to host one? let us know – garagesale@westseattleblog.com): Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (4410 California SW; WSB sponsor) will have courtyard tables again (contact Lora, info@hotwirecoffee.com, if you want to reserve one); the VFW Hall at 3601 SW Alaska plans to offer tables (we’ll have more details and contact info shortly); and Cycle U (4550 Fauntleroy SW) is offering the chance for you to sell bikes and gear. We’ll keep updating here, but if you lose track of the latest update at any point, just remember the official WSCGSD, full of info as well as coverage of the sales since we took over as presenting organization in 2008 – westseattlegaragesale.com.

Just about 48 hours after registration opened for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2011, signups are running ahead of last year – 38 as of this writing! In case you missed the original announcement on Monday afternoon, this is a reminder as much as an update. If this is your first spring in West Seattle – WSCGSD, now in its seventh year (fourth one presented/coordinated by WSB), isn’t one big sale, but hundreds (more than 200 in 2010!) all over the peninsula, from single-home/apartment sales, to block sales, to school or nonprofit or business sales, and we already have one group site if you just need someplace to put up a table (Hotwire Online Coffeehouse [WSB sponsor] – contact Lora at info@hotwirecoffee.com to save your space).

The date is Saturday, May 14, 2011 – the time, 9 am-3 pm – the sale map will be available at least a week in advance. If you would like to be part of this fun selling/shopping day by having your own sale, the registration form is here. SIDE NOTE: There’s a Facebook page for WSCGSD (go here) – and we also hope you’ve “liked” the new WSB FB page (moved from a “profile” which capped the number of friends, while a “page” has no limit) – find it here.

Will it be another record year? As of right now, registration is open for the 7th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (WSB’s fourth year of coordinating and presenting the event). The big day is 9 am-3 pm Saturday, May 14, 2011. Here’s the link to the registration form (registration is online-only again this year). Something new on the form: To further reduce paper use, if you are OK with getting your “packet” via e-mail instead of postal mail (general info including the sign template and how to donate leftovers through Northwest Center if you choose), please click “yes” on the form.

Backstory if you’re new: This is NOT one big sale, but rather, one day with many sales all over West Seattle, big and small (last year, a record – more than 200!). There’s a registration fee to cover coordination/promotion costs – same fees for a fourth consecutive year (different fees for individual, group/business/block/organization sales). If you don’t have somewhere to sell your stuff, but still want to get in on WSCGSD, get in touch with Lora @ Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), at the shop (4410 California SW – try a Peep latte!) or info@hotwirecoffee.com. Again this year, she plans to open the Hotwire courtyard as a group-sale spot (and if anyone else is interested in hosting a group spot, please contact us to coordinate – garagesale@westseattleblog.com). Registration will be open for 3 weeks – but whether you’re selling or not, mark your calendar, set an alert, whatever it takes, for BIG garage-saling on May 14.

P.S. Along with periodic updates here on WSB and on our NEW (“liked” it yet?) Facebook page as well as Twitter, we also have a WSCGSD website – you can browse it to see highlights from the past three years’ sales, if you want to get a feel for what it’s like – and a Facebook page for WSCGSD (go here). And if you’re having a garage sale before or after WSCGSD, remember you can list it for free in the WSB Forums‘ Freebies/Deals/Sales/etc. section.

The 24/7 line (206-293-6302) rang this morning with a common question this time of year: When does registration start for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day? Here’s the answer: Next Monday! This will be our fourth year organizing/presenting the peninsula-wide event – not one big garage sale (though big ones have and undoubtedly will be part of it), but many sales all over West Seattle. Every year there are more – last year’s total passed 200! You can scroll through some of the highlights at westseattlegaragesale.com; next Monday morning, we’ll publish a link here for signing up your sale – individual, business, block/group, etc. We also have a West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day page on Facebook (“like” it here – and if you haven’t already, check out the new main WSB page on FB). Oh, the important part – Saturday, May 14th is Community Garage Sale Day, 9 am-3 pm. You sign up, we make the map and promote it regionally, then come May 14th, it’s a fun opportunity not only to “recycle” items via the tried-and-true yard-sale method, but also to get out and meet friends and neighbors old and new, whether they go to your sale or you go to theirs.

Quick note to say it’s exactly three months till this year’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – the fourth one since we inherited this fun annual event three years ago. It’s the second Saturday in May as usual this year, which means Saturday, May 14th. Last year, WSCGSD set a record, with more than 200 sales around the peninsula, from individual sales to group sales to school sales to business sales, plus a few sites where you could come set up a table if there wasn’t enough room where you live (we’ve heard talk of a few more such sites this year). We haven’t set the date for the start of registration yet, but we’ll talk more about that next month. Just wanted to make sure, if you’re interested in selling and/or shopping, that your calendar’s marked for May 14th. Meantime, take note that WSCGSD is online at westseattlegaragesale.com and on Facebook here; if you have a yard/garage sale before or after then, you can post it free on WSB – currently, the place to do that is in the WSB Forums.

(First running report is here; second is here; Google Map of sales here; printable map here; changes listed here; scroll down for frequent updates & new pix)

1:53 PM: That’s Georgia at the register for sale #96, 5202 21st SW. Traveling around to some of the sales today, we’ve definitely seen lots of family involvement. And then there’s your extended “family”:

1:56 PM: …that term definitely applies to the fine folks at the Highland Park Improvement Club, one of today’s multi-seller sites, sale #154 at 1116 SW Holden.

2:15 PM: It’s enough to bring a tear to the eye of any parent of a teenager … all those stuffed animals you just don’t need any more. They’re part of what we found at the West Seattle High School Grad Night Team‘s sale, #34 at the school parking lot (3000 California SW).

2:27 PM: In the mood for cupcakes, lemonade, or both? Team B’s Knees, raising money for the Northwest Epilepsy Foundation, has both, sale #11, 2119 42nd SW.

2:34 PM: That’s the CoolMom sale at Cycle U (WSB sponsor), 4550 Fauntleroy, where everything is now half price.

2:40 PM: Sale #131 at 4620 SW Graham is the Lincoln Park Co-op Preschool group – lots of girls’ clothes left when we stopped by in the final hour.

3:07 PM: Over already! Stand by for an update on what to do with unsold stuff, if you’re interested in donating it … and if you had a sale, or found something cool, or both, please still feel free to send photos; we’ll continue adding coverage to the official WSCGSD website (and probably here too).

(First running report of the day is here; Google Map of sales here; printable map here; changes listed here; scroll down for frequent updates & new pix)

Almost halfway through the 6th annual edition of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – already? – and we’ve seen lots of shoppers out and about; we’re making the rounds to get photos but thanks also to those who have sent pix from their sales, like John Smersh from Click! Design That Fits (WSB sponsor), sale #12 at 2210 California SW in the Admiral District, where they’ve got half-price lighting as well as handbags on sale, and more. A few miles south on California, an individual sale with proceeds going to a cause close to many hearts:

That’s Krista at sale #161, 7717 California SW, where proceeds are going to the Orca Network. More to come – we’re about to hit the road and check out the high-school sites, among others. 11:52 AM: A shot from a bit earlier:

Carla and Brian are at Ginomai, 42nd and Genesee, sale #78, a multi-seller site and also the place where you also will find a West Seattle Christian Church group raising money for a well-drilling trip to Guatemala. On with the photos:

12:13 PM: That’s a photo Stephen shared from sale #159 at 7729 30th SW, where he says there’s still “plenty left to buy” … that’s also the word from our Twitter pal @cheapsleeps on SW Southern near 37th, who has baby-boy clothes galore – that’s sale #165. Meantime, just got a note from a seller with a specific item of interest:

12:20 PM: Natasha says that vanity at sale #187, 8802 35th SW, is $100 “or best offer”! Which reminds us that prices have just been marked down at one of our recent stops:

12:27 PM: Chief Sealth PTSA is raising money, and donating part of the proceeds to several of the clubs at the school, and now that it’s after noon, it’s 2 for 1, as the signs say (thanks to the student volunteers for taking a moment out to be in the photo). They’re sale #128 on the map. Now on to High Point:

12:37 PM: At Bridge Park Retirement Center (WSB sponsor), the big lot sale (#139 on the map) is raising money for Relay for Life of West Seattle (a cancer-fighting fundraising event, coming up June 18-19). Lots of cool stuff.

1 PM: Old beer signs, anybody? That’s part of the unique slate of stuff at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor), sale #59 at 3803 Delridge. The sale is BEHIND Skylark – so pull into the parking lot on its north side and go around back. We’re starting the afternoon report next – (update) here’s the link.

(Need the map? Updated Google version here; make note of the changes for printable version here – and scroll down for newest photos/updates)

8:59 AM: Sale Day begins! – that’s the >Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard at 4410 California SW, sale #79, where you’ll find dozens of sellers and the Furry Faces Foundation plant sale – be sure to check out the Ginomai courtyard right behind it, too.

9:13 AM: Sale #51 at 3432 39th SW has declared itself “Area 51,” and Will says not only have aliens landed, they’ve got Vikings selling lemonade.

9:31 AM: Thanks to Eric for sending word from Schmitz Park Elementary School, participating in WSCGSD this year for the first time, sale #43 at 5000 SW Spokane – lots of stuff inside and out (and homemade soup while it lasts).

9:42 AM: Michelle at sale #143, 6900 California SW, might feel a little tired already – though we exhort “no earlybirds,” the shoppers in the photo above showed up at 8:30.

9:54 AM: The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, sale #15 at 5050 SW Grayson, is at a different location this year – some great vintage stuff including the classic magazines with which Shari Sewell posed. Speaking of vintage, check this out …

10:06 AM: Sale #77 at 4160 California SW (just north of the Hotwire/Ginomai multi-seller sites) has vintage radios among other things. That’s Mike, posing with one of his sale items – which is from the ’30s.

10:26 AM: The West Seattle Tool Library scavenger teams are hitting the streets, looking for tools to buy for the soon-to-debut lending library. You are also invited to donate tools at four locations today (including the Alki Bike and Board sale, #19 on your map) – full details here.

10:40 AM: Barbara, Patrick and Carol Jean are having fun in the sun at Sale #89, 4815 1/2 Erskine Way, behind Uptown Espresso in The Junction – we ran by there while checking out the Tool Library folks practically across the street.

11:11 AM: Thanks to Klaire for sending photos from her sale at 4069 28th SW, #74 on the map – there’s barbecue stuff and art too, among other things, besides what you see in the photo. We are also posting standalone updates for every sale we photograph, or get photos sent from, at westseattlegaragesale.com – so if you’re taking time to browse, or still deciding whether to go out! – check there too.

11:16 AM: The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is one of two groups with sales at 40th and Edmunds in The Junction – they are number #91 on the map. And in the same lot, at #90:

11:25 AM: That’s the official “WTF” table at the Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation sale, also at 40th/Edmunds. Who knows what … etc. … you’ll find? *Now we’re moving on to our second running report of the day; here’s the link.*

WHAT: The 6th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, coordinated/presented by WSB, 196 sales

WHEN: 9 am-3 pm today

WHERE: All over the peninsula
–Google Map here (already reflects latest changes)
–Printable map here (please make the changes listed here)

SALE PREVIEWS: Besides the listings on the map, find them:
–On the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day Facebook page
–On the WS Blog Facebook page
–On the official West Seattle CGSD website

MULTI-SALE/GROUP SITES: Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), #79; Highland Park Improvement Club, #154; C & P Coffee, #107; Freshy’s Coffee, #29; CoolMom at Cycle U (WSB sponsor), #92; Lincoln Park P-Patch, #147; Hope Lutheran mission trip to New Orleans, #86; West Seattle Christian well-building trip to Guatemala, #78; West Seattle Relay for Life at Bridge Park (WSB sponsor), #139; Amigos de los Americas, #191; Kiwanis Club of West Seattle, #15; Boy Scout Troop 284, #54; Westside Unitarian Universalist Congregation, #90; International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, #91.

SCHOOL SALE SITES: Schmitz Park Elementary (sale #43). Chief Sealth High School PTSA (sale #128), West Seattle High School Grad Night (sale #34) with a 10 am-2 pm car wash along with their sale; Lincoln Park Co-Op Preschool (sale #131) at Seaview Methodist Church; Alki Co-Op Preschool (sale #38) at Alki UCC Church.

TOOL LIBRARY: Collecting and buying today for the new West Seattle Tool Library – here’s how to be part of it

FOOD: All of our fine West Seattle eateries will be happy to feed you, local or visitor, of course. Also:
–Hot dogs at the Ginomai group sale adjacent to the Hotwire Coffee sale
—West Seattle Thriftway is barbecuing bratwurst starting at 11, proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Many more highlight; the best review we ever heard of Community Garage Sale Day is “we met so many people!” This is a chance to “recycle” what you don’t need AND to meet people. Have a great day and send pictures; we’ll be out and about but there’s no way we can get to more than a fraction of the 200-ish sales in six hours.

Tomorrow’s the day – West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day all over the peninsula, 9 am-3 pm Saturday. Links to the maps are here, along with the newest information about changes (we’ve had one more cancellation because of a family emergency, so PLEASE check this link if you are using the printable map, which we couldn’t update, though the Google Map is up to date). As we mentioned earlier in the week, many local nonprofits are having sales – and some individual sellers are donating their proceeds. But there are three organizations looking for very particular help:

*West Seattle Tool Library: Taking donations at four locations (including Alki Bike and Board‘s sale site, #19 on the map), and also sending scavenger teams out to find tools – this new lending library will open soon. Full location information here.

*WestSide Baby: This organization that helps families around our area has just sent this request:

WestSide Baby is hoping a few good bargain hunters might try to “Shop to Give” tomorrow at the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day sales. Stop by C&P Coffee’s Diaper Drive and receive a free latte with a donation of diapers!!

If you are shopping and want to know what we REALLY need, please check out the list below. If you are having a sale and want to donate your gently used, clean and wonderful left-overs, we’ll be here Saturday 10- 4pm (address below).

While we generally take all children’s items, we must decline toys, furniture items like rocking chairs and changing tables due to space restrictions. Unfortunately, the massive crib recalls of the last year, also mean we cannot accept any cribs without written verification from the owner that the crib has been “recall” cleared.

However, we will take all other children’s clothes, shoes and reusable equipment, including carseats less than 6 years old as long as the owner attaches a note indicating it’s not been in a carseat or washed with harsh chemicals. We especially need the following items if you are shopping:

Clothes by Gender & Size:
Boy/Girl 0-9 mos
Boys 3T – 10 Boys

Other items
Boppy Pillows
Small infant toys/rattles/teethers
Board Books
Carseats < 6 years old Strollers Highchairs Address in White Center: 10032 15th Ave. SW We are just south of the Dollar Store on the back side of White Center Chiropractic.

*Northwest Center: This organization has partnered with West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day even before we started sponsoring it with the 4th annual sale in 2008. If you have leftovers and would like to have them picked up, you can arrange it online through bigbluetruck.org – but better yet, their donation dropoff spot in The Junction will have backup trucks ready if their trucks keep filling up – Edmunds just east of 44th, across from Uptown Espresso, alongside the Chase drive-thru, where you’ll find them every weekend.

More previews ahead – check out the WSCGSD page on Facebook, where more sellers are previewing their sales, and more shoppers are posting about what they’re looking for.

Just one day till the 6th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, our third year to coordinate/present it – the Google Map you see above is the most up-to-date map, with three sales deleted due to emergency last-minute cancellations and one addition because we mistakenly left it off. (If you print out the PDF version, be sure to make the changes – listed here.) Remember that the sales are 9 am-3 pm (except for a handful that stipulated otherwise in their “ad” listings), no earlybirds, please! Today and tonight we’ll publish a few updates with highlights; right now, we wanted to mention the participating schools. Schmitz Park Elementary (sale #43) is participating for the first time – you’ll find their sale on the playground; they’re still accepting donated items to sell, 4-6 pm today and 8-9 am tomorrow at the school’s covered play area. Chief Sealth High School PTSA (sale #128) is participating – proceeds will be split between the PTSA and several student clubs at the school. West Seattle High School Grad Night (sale #34) is raising money with a 10 am-2 pm car wash along with their sale. Lincoln Park Co-Op Preschool (sale #131) has a sale at Seaview Methodist Church, where it has classes. Alki Co-Op Preschool (sale #38) is having a sale too, at Alki UCC Church, its class site. More previews later – and if you’re selling, share yours on the WSCGSD Facebook page! – but most importantly, be sure to browse the map!

Checked The Map yet? Here’s the clickable Google Map version, and here’s the printable PDF version (or a Word doc if you prefer), for West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day this Saturday, sales 1-200 (but cross off 105, which had to cancel), all over the peninsula, 9 am-3 pm. So far the weather looks promising! Time for some sneak peeks – first, we have a list from Lora Lewis at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), which again this year is a big group-sale site (#79 on the map), dozens of sellers in the courtyard (and next door at Ginomai). We’ve published the entire list at the official WSCGSD site. Other group/organization sale sites: Highland Park Improvement Club (sale #154), C & P Coffee (sale #107), CoolMom (sale #92) at Cycle U (WSB sponsor). And another reminder: The West Seattle Tool Library is taking donations at four sites, and sending “scavenger teams” out to buy tools. Full details (and list of locations) here.

**10:53 PM UPDATE – Sale #105 canceled – we’ve taken it off this map; if you’ve printed, please X it out**

Just four days till the 6th annual – and biggest ever – West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day: 200 sales (with hundreds more sellers, thanks to group sale sites, organization/school/business/block sales, etc.)! On Saturday, the Google Map with all the sale sites, numbered 1-200, starting with #1 in the north to #200 in the south, went live (it’s embedded above – here’s the direct link). Just one problem with Google Maps – for something like this, they tend not to print that well. So again this year, we have put together a more packet-like printable map. It’s a 12-page Word doc (6 pages if you print both sides) – with the map cut into sections, with the numbered sales, followed by the list of all 200 “ads” for the sales, in numerical order. (ADDED 1:17 PM: If you’d rather print from a PDF, use this link. Thanks to Karen for helping!) Take note that sellers will be seeing this version for the first time today too, and if anyone sees a major problem (so far so good with the Google version), we will update the map and repost here as well as at westseattlegaragesale.com and at the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day page on Facebook.

One week from today, it’s the sixth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day – this year, 200 sales big and small, all over the peninsula. We promised we’d have the map available by now, and we’re making good on that – you can see the Google Map version, with all 200 sites, by going here. In our experience, the Google Map has never printed too well, though, so we always make a printable version, with a segmented map, and the individual sale “ads” organized #1-#200 – that’s not ready yet, but we’ll link it here when it’s done, as well as on the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day website and Facebook page. Meantime, you can see each full “ad” by clicking each sale’s number icon on the Google Map. We’ve made the list and more than checked it twice, to borrow a phrase, but if you are a seller and you can’t find your sale, please let us know as soon as possible (garagesale@westseattleblog.com) so we can check into it. Again, this is just a sneak peek – the sales don’t start till 9 am next Saturday (May 8). P.S. Feel free to share this link with friends and relatives all over the region – with 200 sales (including multi-family, block, organization, school, nonprofit BIG sales), there’s plenty of shopping for folks beyond the peninsula to come join “local” shoppers that day too.

Quick updates on the sixth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, 9 am-3 pm on Saturday, May 8 – one week from tomorrow! For avid preparers who just can’t wait to get The Map, it will be available online no later than 9 pm tomorrow (5/1). Like last year, it’ll be available in two formats: Printable (multipage PDF, with the sales mapped and numbered, north to south, and full text of the short “ads” for each sale) and online Google Map (doesn’t print well, but you can use it to chart your own course – click each sale location and its address pops up with “ad” info). We will have a limited number of pre-printed maps at several locations around the peninsula by Monday, but please save those for shoppers with no access to a printer – the map is designed to be printed on plain ol ‘ 8 1/2 x 11 paper so whatever you DO have access to, it’ll be just fine. As of right now, the almost-final total is projected to be 201 sales (another record), with hundreds more sellers when you add in group-sale sites. In addition to the nonprofits (mentioned in our previous update) that are having their own sales, some individual sellers say they are donating all or part of their proceeds – watch for map listings mentioning the Orca Network, West Seattle Helpline, West Seattle Relay for Life, Northwest Epilepsy Foundation, American Cancer Society, Washington Chapter of the National MS Society (among others). And we want to mention again that the West Seattle Tool Library will be accepting donations at four locations PLUS sending teams out on “scavenger hunts” to buy tools from sales – if you’re not selling, but you have tools you can donate, read about the Tool Library here and drop them off while you’re out on West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. LAST NOTE: If you can print the 8 1/2 x 14 official poster and put it up at your workplace, school or business (outside WS? fine! we’re inviting the world!), THANKS – here it is, ready to print!