CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Driveways across Padre Island will fill up Saturday for the Padre Island Neighbors Semi-Annual Mega Garage Sale. Sellers at 55 locations across the island are taking part, and some neighbors are already getting a head start.
A fresh start on the island
Joe Ochoa and his family put their home in the San Antonio area on the market and are combining everything into their house on the island.
“Going from almost 4000 to 1400 is a big difference, and we just have to get rid of probably 80% of our stuff,” Ochoa said.
It’s the family’s second yard sale. They held their first one up north and are now taking advantage of the island-wide sale weekend.
The money is going to a good cause. Ochoa’s middle son is in the aviation technology program at Del Mar College, working toward his A&P license. He joined the Del Mar Aviation Club, which is heading to a national competition next year.
“He asked about the proceeds, and of course we just decided to help him,” Ochoa said.
The family hoped to raise $500 to $600 at Friday’s presale, and by midmorning Ochoa said they were on pace to beat it. Shoppers like Byron Henderson were already stopping by.
“Probably get some good finds out here too,” Henderson said.
For Ochoa, the sale has been about more than money.
“We’ve met 10, 15 people this morning, a couple on our street, and I think I value that more than anything else, just meeting neighbors and making friends,” he said.
The ‘Yard Sale Under the Tree’
For other neighbors, the sale is a tradition. Dallas Holland has lived on the island for 16 years and has hosted yard sales there for about a decade. They used to be out in the sun.
“Then my wife had the bright idea, oh my gosh, we’ve got this incredible tree here, why don’t we use its shade?” Holland said. “That just changed everything.”
Now the shade covers a little bit of everything: coolers, fishing gear, dozens of ammo cans and a set of Ford F-150 factory rims. Holland says up to 50 shoppers can crowd his driveway at once, and the island-wide sale draws people from as far away as San Antonio.
His advice for shoppers is simple.
“Bring lots of cash. The ATMs here on the island get wiped out, and when you’ve got an item that you just can’t live without and you don’t have the cash for it, you go down to the ATM and it’s empty,” he said.
Holland says the sale brings people to the island who might not otherwise make the trip.
“We live on a desert island. It’s the cheapest beach in the world, and everybody needs to come out here at least once, and if for nothing else, the community-wide garage sale,” he said.
If you go
The Padre Island Neighbors Mega Garage Sale runs Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bring cash, since many sellers don’t take digital payments. The “Yard Sale Under the Tree” is marked with signs from the Whitecap Boulevard intersections, and the sellers ask for no early birds.
Participating locations:
15217 SPID (parking lot), Almeria Ave., Aquarius St., Barataria Dr., Beaufort Ct., Bonasse Ct., Bounty Ave., Broomsedge St., Cabo Blanco Dr., Canadian Mist Dr., Capstan St., Caravel Dr., Caribe St., Cartagena Ct., Cruiser St., Cumana Dr., Cuttysark St., Dasmarinas Dr., Dyna St., Eagles Nest Bay Dr., Escapade St., Finistere St., Flintlock Dr., Gunwell Dr., Gypsy St., Halyard Dr., Hawksnest Bay Dr., Highland Mist Dr., Jacktar St., Ketch St., La Blanquilla, Laffite Cir., Lanyard Dr., Longboat Dr., Main Royal, Man O’ War Ct., Mizzen St., Moro Ln., Mutiny Ct., Palmira Ave., Palo Seco Dr., Pionciana St., Portillo Dr., Punta Bonaire, Punta Espada Loop, Quarterdeck Dr., Reales Dr., Royal Fifth Ct., Schooner Dr., Sea Anchor St., Sea Horse Ave., Suntan Ave., Topsail St., Whitecap Blvd., Windjammer Dr.
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