Picture a yard sale running 800 miles from Maryland to Missouri. Then, picture mile after mile of small vendor tables, church bake sales, and the occasional impromptu flea market. This is the Route 40 yard sale. Every year, this amazing event takes place around the end of May or first part of June. This year it ran extra long during the first week of June, beginning on the 1st and concluding on Sunday, the 5th and was well-attended across the whole time frame.
It’s become a tradition of mine to travel the sale’s route every spring. It’s the time when I seriously dust off the convertible, put the top down and follow the road as far as I care to go. Route 40 is a good ride at any time, but the yard sale makes the trip a true event. Acquiring vintage treasures doesn’t hurt, either!
I generally start my travels in west Columbus, Ohio. I’ve gone as far as the eastern edge of Indianapolis, but this year only made it as far as Vandalia, Ohio. That’s only about 60 miles traveled in a 5 hour span, but it’s a testament to how many stops I made along the way. There were so many places to stop that it became a constant contest deciding where to stop and what to bypass.
You’ll find much of Route 40 a vista of motor courts, drive-in theaters, farm scenes, and small town main streets; as I noted, it’s a good drive most any time. As you travel during the sale dates, you’ll find people selling their wares in small towns, on the front edges of farms, in church parking lots, and even from the backs of cars and trucks parked in city parking lots.
It’s an interesting mixture of pure junk, vintage treasure, and modern-day finds for folks scouting for bargains. If you are a fan of American Pickers and similar shows, this is an event not to be missed. For me, it was about loading up on mid-century finds for eventual resale, and the hunt was fruitful. Unfortunately, I forgot how little that convertible holds! So, while I did some ‘picking’ my stash was quite a bit lighter than I would have liked.
The sale also provides a chance to immerse yourself in small town American culture. Sure there are vendors along the route in the cities and suburbs – but the real pleasure is being out in the rural areas, stopping for a cup of coffee at the local café, looking over farm implements or handicrafts that a local farm family is selling, having a hot dog at the local VFW stand, or even browsing the wares at a Boy Scout-sponsored table.
So, 2011’s sale was another great experience for me. I came back with at least a measurable amount of goods and spent a great day on the road and in the sun…one day, I’ll have to make the trip all the way to St. Louis.
Along with the Route 40 yard sale, there are also similar sales on other roads: the Lincoln Buy-Way (Route 30) starting August 4; the Route 127 Corridor Sale that bills itself the “world’s longest yard sale” also starting this year on August 4; and, both the Route 66 Yard Sale and Great Route 50 Yard Sale which take place in May.
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