Information about the 2010 sale
It's Coming.
The Annual Countrywood Neighborhood Sale will take place September 17th and 18th this year.
I think this year will prove to be the best sale yet. The annual neighborhood sale is a great way for us as Countrywood Residents to speak highly of the neighborhood to those patrons who come here by the droves to shop. Estimates for previous years have put the number somewhere around twenty thousand that attend over the two days.
After the sale last year, we sent out a survey to those signed up on our email list. The overwhelming majority of comments made were positive. We heard more great ideas that we will implement to address concerns raised over the past few years. Still most of the concerns deal with the number of vehicles that come through, often blocking driveways or causing traffic jams that prevent emergency vehicles from getting to where they need to be in a timely manner. Last year we implemented 2 one-way streets. This year, depending on the number of registrants, we plan to implement more. But how will we know which areas? The streets that will be made one-way will be based on how many houses will be participating within close proximity to each other, as well as the street width and previous reports of congestion. For this reason, it is extremely important to register by August 31- letting us know that you intend to have a sale. If people do not register, then there is no way for us to know which areas need services, like police presence and one-way streets.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? This sale is intended to be a way for our residents in Countrywood to make some money getting rid of their used stuff. It is not a place for people to come from all over Memphis and set up on the side of the road or in a vacant house's yard to sell things. With the help of the Police, we will be actively looking for people set up on the side of the street/ sidewalk or at houses that are vacant, bank-owned, or HUD homes. We will need your help to ensure that this is a resident's only sale. People selling used items (typical yard sale stuff) do not need any special license; however, vendors selling items they have made or new items will need to obtain a license from the Shelby County code enforcement. Last year St Francis opened their parking lot for those interested in selling that were not Countrywood residents. This year they will be doing that again. Below is their information. Also please check www.CountrywoodSale.com for more details.
St Francis Information - They have about 40 spaces, which are reserved on a first come first served basis. It is $75 for a space. There is overnight security Friday night. Set up time is Friday at 8 AM. Tear down time is Saturday at 3 and have to be off lot by 4:30 PM. People selling used items (typical yard sale stuff) do not need any special license; however, vendors selling items they have made or new items will need to obtain a license from the Shelby County code enforcement. Contact: Michael with St Francis @ 901-378-9424 for information or to reserve a space at St Francis.(Michael is not with Countrywood...please do not contact him with questions about the Countrywood Sale)
NEW WEBSITE: Last year, only a few weeks before the sale, we started the website www.CountrywoodSale.com- which was a huge success. This was an area that everyone could go to for information about the annual sale. We had about 1000 people hit the site. Now that it is established, we are sure to have more traffic, which will ultimately allow us to provide more information about the sale.
As an incentive- this year we will be giving away two $50 restaurant gift certificates. We will randomly draw 2 names from residents that registered by August 31.
CODE: The county code for yard sales says that sales are permitted twice a year, and each sale can last no longer than 3 days. One reason we in Countrywood have a big sale one time a year is to get away from everyone having a little sale spread all throughout the year. One other thing the code mentions is that you can only sell items that are used. This means that obtaining new items for the express purpose of reselling them at your yard sale is not allowed, unless you have a permit and a business license.
SELLING FOOD: This year we will not have a special area for food vendors. Instead anyone selling food at their house will get a special food icon on the map (online and printed) to let people know that food is available at their location. You will also need to obtain a permit from Code Enforcement located at 6465 Mullins Station Road (when you go in the front door, head straight to the back, down the long glass hallway and in hte left corner, you will see the Special Event desk- talk to Lesia), we will have an event permit that you must be listed on- so please register with us first so that we can let them know you are working with us and are authorized to sell food. You will also need to go downtown to obtain a temporary food sales permit. This is obtained from the Health Department located at 814 Jefferson. Head up to the 5th floor and go straight ahead out of the elevator to the desk there. If you are selling packaged food, then the permit is $11.25, if you are selling open foods (hamburgers, snowcones, etc) then the cost is $30. You will need to obtain both of these permits before Tuesday September 14th. You must obtain both permits regardless of whether you are selling food one or both days.
WHY REGISTER? Many people may ask, why should I pay $20 to have a yard sale. That is what I thought when we moved in 6 years ago. Since then, I have come to understand what my money goes towards. Here is a brief list of what registering and your $20 fee will cover:
1. As mentioned above, registering will allow us to know which houses will be participating, so that we will have the best data available to set up services.
2. Every year we have people parking on grassy areas, even though they are not supposed to. These people will often break a sprinkler head, or ruin the grass. Your $20 fee goes to cover the repairs.
3. People shopping need restroom facilities. As a security precaution, we highly recommend that you do not let anyone into your house. “But my pregnant wife really, really needs to go”- this is why we will be placing port-o-potties around the neighborhood for the days of the sale; therefore you can keep shoppers and would-be burglars out of your house. Last year we, as mentioned, we based the number of facilities on the number of people that registered and their location- this turned out to not be enough, as there were many who did not register. Please register. This year we will be having the restrooms serviced throughout the day. Last year we did not, and the port-o-potties became unusable- or at least undesirable.
4. Maps will be provided at local businesses as well as provided to you. These maps will note which streets are one-way, where bathrooms are located, which houses are participating, and where they can find vendors that are selling food.
5. When you register, we ask that you let us know if you would like your unsold items to be donated to a not for profit charitable organization, which will come by Saturday at 5:00 PM to pick up any items you have left over. If you check the box that says “YES”, then your address will be added to a separate map that will be given to these organizations. This is done for your convenience, so that you will not have to pack up your items and haul them somewhere to get rid of them. These donation companies require an address and will not just cruise the neighborhood for items.
6. Although a lot of people know about the sale, and some even come from hundreds of miles away, we will still be advertising to get the word out. Your $20 fee goes towards this cost as well.
7. Register by August 31 to be entered into our $50 restaurant gift certificate giveaway.
This year, we are requiring that you register at our website www.CountrywoodSale.com. We are also asking that you indicate if you will be selling both Friday and Saturday or just one day.
Also two weeks before the sale, there will be a special yard sale edition of the newsletter sent out. This special edition will include tips to make it through the weekend as well as security tips and helpful ideas.
But, I want to pay by check: We prefer for you to pay online and fill out the form online to submit your items, as this makes the process a lot more streamlined; however, for those of you wishing to pay by check, you can make a check payable to Countrywood Neighborhood Association for $20 ($25 if you will be selling food) and mail it to P.O.Box 241 Cordova, TN 38088-0241. Forms mailed must be received by August 30th. Please also include the form below filled out completely.
CUTOFF DATE: We prefer you register by August 31, but this year there is no cutoff date for registering. If you register by August 31, it will give us time to correspond with the Memphis Police Department to set up one-way streets and decide where to place other services. The website will take registration all the way up to the sale date.
However the deadline for being placed on the printed map is August 31. An online map will be provided at www.CountrywoodSale.com. The cutoff date for being in the online map is September 14th.
ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY: We will have areas on the map and the website for businesses to advertise. If you would like to advertise your business online or in print, please contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
VOLUNTEERS: We need lots and lots of volunteers. Please contact me at Lonnie.Epperson@countrywood.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS: Most questions will be answered at the official Sale website: www.CountrywoodSale.com. If you have additional questions, you can submit the question using the "Contact Us" form on the site.
I am so excited about this year's sale and how we have the opportunity to portray Countrywood in a positive light to all of those that will come out. Remember, what you say affects your home's resale value. Let's all focus on the positives, like how safe it is here, how nice it is to walk at night with the street lights, the proximity to shopping in the area, the great neighborhood schools, etc. This is a great neighborhood, and with your help this year's sale will be the best one yet!
Lonnie Epperson
Vice President, Countrywood Neighborhood Association
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Name: ______________________________
Street Address:______________________
Days selling: ___Friday Only ____Friday & Saturday ___Saturday Only
Will you be selling food? ___No ___YES (you must obtain 2 permits- see above)
List items for sale (please limit the items for sale to 200 characters):
Would you like to donate leftover items to Vietnam Vets: _____YES ___NO
If, yes, what time on Saturday would you prefer them to come by? _______________